A short-circuit that caused a fire at a consumer fair in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, ending 50 lives has brought into sharp focus the lack of safety norms at such expositions, routinely held in Indian cities.

The magisterial enquiry underway by the Chief Development officer of Meerut will come out with a report shortly. The consumer durable exposition itself was, however, held without adequate safety precautions in place. The three giant tents made of synthetic fibre hastened the spread of the fire. Besides there was just a single entrance and exit in each of these.

According to the chief fire officer, KK Chaturvedi, Meerut, the no-objection certificate needed to run the exhibition was granted by the District Magistrate without any consultation.

"I was not aware of the clearance the organizers got,'' said the chief fire officer, raising questions about the mechanism of implementing basic fire safety guidelines. "Fifty have died and around 150 are injured,'' he added.

The organizers, Mrinal Events and Expositions, he said, had not provided a fire exit, not made provisions for the mandatory 4.5 metres space around the exit, nor ensured sufficient exits.
They had flouted even the basic stricture of using fire retardant material. Around 2,000 people were said to be in the precincts when the fire broke out.

As bodies lay unclaimed and injured poured into the hospitals in Meerut and neighbouring Delhi, relatives and citizens are protesting the negligence of safety norms and lack of adequate response from the administration.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh Yadav has announced a judicial enquiry but it is yet to be notified. The magisterial enquiry has commenced, said a senior officer of the state home ministry RK Shrivatsava.

Despite the fire incidents and the enquiries that follow, those working in the area of safety in the Loss Prevention Association of India (LPAI) point out the lack of specific fire safety guidelines spelt out in the case of exhibitions and fairs.

"There is a National Building Code part iv of which deals with fire protection, but it does not mention specifications for temporary structures,'' said KA Mannavalan, Manager LPAI, Chennai.

The National Building Code of India (NBC), a comprehensive building Code, is a national instrument providing guidelines for regulating the building construction activities across the country.

"These fires invariably start because of problems in electricity and spread rapidly because of use of combustible material,'' said Mannavalan.

The LPAI, which is sponsored by the general insurance companies, analysed 100 instances of fire in textile factories. It looked at the reasons why fires spread. It was found that 89 per cent of the causes related to matters under the control of the management. The remaining 11 per cent were linked to the slow response of the fire service.

"Exhibition organizers do not suggest non-combustible material. If there were to be strictures regarding their use and its implementation, fire retardant material would also be more readily available in the market,'' added Mannavalan. Meerut police have filed charges against the organizers for causing death and damage to property due to negligence.

Crucial Fire Safety Measures

Fire Prevention - Care with use of electricity, good quality wires, right equipment
Preventing Quick Spread - Use of fire retardant material
Fire Protection - Necessary equipment used to put out fire, right equipment, trained fire fighters. (indiadisasters.org, April 10, 2006)

Source: Loss Prevention Association of India
http://www.tsunamiresponsewatch.org/trw/2006/04/12/temporary-structures-too-need-fire-guidelines/#more-614