Despite the former Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee’s (MHCC) request that the Mumbai Fire brigade conduct fire audits of the city’s public heritage structures, only a handful of such buildings h
Despite the former Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee’s (MHCC) request that the Mumbai Fire brigade conduct fire audits of the city’s public heritage structures, only a handful of such buildings have complied with fire safety norms. These buildings include the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) headquarters at CST, the Jehangir Art Gallery, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Vastu Sangrahalaya and the National Centre for Performing Arts at Kala Ghoda, besides the Shivaji Market at Crawford Market and Opera House, both of which are undergoing renovation.
Former chairman of the MHCC, V. Ranganathan said, “In my tenure, the MHCC had written to the fire brigade requesting it to conduct fire audits of all heritage structures, especially the ones in the public domain. We also suggested ways in which this could be done without altering or compromising on the heritage aspect of the building. However, this was not done.”
The fire brigade had then cited a crunch in the machinery available to conduct these audits, due to which they were not carried out. However, the fire brigade said that the heritage structures had been constructed at a time when the concept of fire safety standards was not existent.
Meanwhile, P. Rahangdale said heritage structures do not come under the Maharashtra Fire Safety Act, even though Mr Ranganathan is sceptical. Ranganathan said, “All public buildings will have to be covered under this Act. Those heritage structures that are in the public domain must undergo such audits also because their original structure is not fire compliant, yet they house a lot of combustible material.”
On the other hand, Mr Rahangdale maintains that heritage structures only have guidelines set by the National Disaster Management Authority and they have voluntary compliance.
