The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has upgraded emergency, rescue and disaster management services but failed to ensure emergency exits and fire safety precautions in high-rise buildings in the federal capital.
Citizens lauded CDA’s preparedness to cope with any untoward situation, saying that this would give them a sense of protection.
The CDA fire and rescue department has four specialised Bronto snorkels and 35 fire engines at its fleet. The snorkels, which were imported from Finland in 2006, are hydraulic with aerial ladders.
Two of the ladders can go as high as 68 metres, while the other two can reach up to 29 metres.
However, these ladders cannot reach the tops of all high-rise buildings in the city, including the Telecom Tower and the ISE and Centaurus buildings.
After the regulations were issued in January 2011, buildings were required to implement all fire safety measures and install specified fire equipment within six months but that has not yet happened.
Sources said that CDA had conducted a survey to check fire safety measures in the buildings which covered around 60 percent of all commercial buildings and only 15 to 20 percent of industrial buildings. But the result of the survey revealed very low level of compliance with the regulations so far.
An official of the CDA said that myriad notices of non-compliance had been issued to building owners who had not ensured the required fire safety measures.
Sources said that CDA’s own offices lacked the required number of fire extinguishers and fire exits.
Fines were being imposed in case a building owner failed to ensure provision of fire safety measures after three notices and violators could be fined up to Rs 500,000.
