Nagpur civic fire dept to conduct surprise checks at 1,300 Ganesh pandals
Nagpur Municipal Corporation's fire department has issued alerts to 1,300 registered Ganesh mandals and set eight safety rules ahead of surprise inspections.
With large crowds expected at Ganeshotsav pandals, the fire department of the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has gone on alert. The department has sent fire alerts to the city's 1,300 registered Ganesh mandals, clearly asking them to strictly follow fire safety rules. Department teams will carry out surprise inspections of pandals, and action will be taken wherever negligence is found.
NMC's chief fire officer Rajendra Uchake has appealed to Ganesh mandals to pay as much attention to fire safety as they do to decorations and tableaux. To this end, the department has laid down eight mandatory rules that every pandal must follow.
The first rule is that every pandal must keep at least two fire extinguishers in working condition, with their pressure and validity checked periodically. Second, at least 200 litres of water and buckets must be kept ready for emergencies. The third rule requires entry and exit points and surrounding pathways to remain open at all times, with no obstructions of any kind.
Fourth, pandals must have a separate and clear fire exit, and its path cannot be blocked by chairs, prasad stalls or decoration material. The fifth rule bans flammable items -- kerosene lamps, candles, coal stoves, gas cylinders, firecrackers, explosive material, dry wood and grass cannot be kept in the pandal.
The sixth rule concerns electrical safety: to reduce the risk of short circuits, only certified, ISI-marked electrical equipment and wiring must be used, and overloading through temporary wiring, multiplugs or extension boards must be avoided. The seventh rule concerns the size of the main gate -- to allow fire engines to enter easily, the gate must be at least 4.5 metres high and 6 metres wide.
The eighth rule concerns no-parking and fire safety arrangements -- no vehicle can be parked in the path of emergency vehicles. Cloth used in the pandal must have a fire-retardant coating and wiring must be safe, for which the department has directed that wiring work be carried out only by a licensed contractor.
The fire department has also made clear that fire extinguishers kept in pandals should not be just for show -- mandal volunteers must also be given basic training in using them. According to chief fire officer Rajendra Uchake, department teams will continue to carry out surprise inspections of pandals, and strict action will be taken against any mandal found ignoring the rules.
