Fire-safety guidelines must be issued before May 2024: Bombay High Court to State

The Bombay High Court on Friday ordered the Maharashtra government to ensure that it strictly complies with the timeline set by itself to issue fire safety regulations which is now planned to be done by May 2024 [Abha Singh v. State of Maharashtra & Ors.]..A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif Doctor had earlier pulled up the State government over its delay in enforcing such safety guidelines. On Friday, the bench remarked that the State appeared to have "woken up" to the issue only after the Court's censure. "The committee recommendations (on fire safety) came in February 2023. After committee recommendation, you did not take a single step? Only after Court's order you have woken up. You did nothing, is that correct?" the Court said. .Additional government pleader Jyoti Chavan relayed to the Court that the additional chief secretary had assured her that the timelines to enforce the fire safety guidelines would be complied with."If you had done this before, the regulation would’ve been published by now," the bench replied. .The Court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by advocate Abha Singh in 2019 seeking the enforcement of draft rules and regulations suggested in 2009 for fire safety in buildings vulnerable to man-made disasters. .The Court on Friday directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file an affidavit giving out details of the measures in place to tackle sudden fires in city buildings. It further called for the disclosure of the number of fire stations within the city's municipal limits and the staff employed at such stations..In an earlier hearing, the Court had criticised the State government over its failure to enforce fire safety guidelines despite a rise in fire accidents in the State. "Fire incidents appear to be on the rise. Every other day in this city there is a fire incident and there are reports of people losing their lives. This is a serious issue and no laxness can be accepted," the Court had said. .In response, the Court was told that an expert committee had submitted its report on the issue in February 2023 which was then placed before the concerned State Department. The Court, however, was not impressed by these submissions."We are in December now. What is the government doing? Any laxness cannot be accepted," the Court had said.It proceeded to direct the government to inform the Court if there was a specific timeline for implementing the safety rules. In response, on December 8, the State informed the Court that the safety rules are expected to be implemented by May 2024. .The matter will be heard next on January 30, 2024.