CMDA, Fire Dept fail to act against buildings violating fire safety norms

Nearly two years have gone by since a massive fire gutted a well-known textile shop in T Nagar, and a new building has come up at the spot. But the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) still remains toothless in acting against the buildings that function without even the basic fire safety clearance that puts the public at risk.

According to CMDA data, there are 2,439 buildings – majority of them commercial buildings – in the city that have not obtained no-objection certificate (NOC) and license from the Director of Fire and Rescue Services.

The number is alarming especially because the structures house commercial establishments. However, neither the CMDA nor the Fire and Rescue Services Department has any authority to act against those buildings. Thus, instead of cracking the whip, there has only been a warning to visitors.

“We have published the list of buildings in our website to caution the persons entering those premises,” a CMDA official said.

When asked about the reason for not taking action against these buildings, the official said the planning authority does not have the powers. “The Fire and Rescue Services Department should act, as it has the power to give clearance and compliance certificates to the buildings,” the official said.

But the Fire Service officials, too, washed their hands off the matter, maintaining that their jurisdiction was limited to granting clearance and NOC.

This is not all. The CMDA has also failed to adhere to the direction of High Court, which ordered to erect caution notice in front of the buildings operating without fire clearance to warn the customers entering them.

“We have erected the banners after the 2017 fire accident at Chennai Silks at T Nagar. However, we could not continue the drive as we are short-staffed,” the CMDA official said.

Another official pointed out that fire safety compliance was mandatory for availing building plan permission and completion certificate for new multi-storeyed buildings, and added that completion certificates would be issued only after the building owner availed fire compliance certificate and NOC from the Fire and Rescue Services Department.

The official added that the CMDA could not even regularise the buildings under the Regulation of Unauthorised Buildings Scheme due to several issues. “All the buildings in the list were built before 1999. We could not regularise them as the Fire and Rescue Services Department refused to issue compliance certificates. The Fire Department should issue compliance certificates by making needed modifications instead of seeking 7-meter setback,” the official pointed out.

Meanwhile, the residents of T Nagar, the commercial hub where more than 100 such buildings exist, urge the CMDA to act immediately against the buildings without fire safety.

“We have been demanding action since a fire gutted a famous shop on Ranganathan Street nearly a decade ago. We have written many letters to the concerned departments, but there was no response. After the Chennai Silks fire, the government conducted a fire audit without any follow-up. This is contempt of court on the part of the government for not erecting fire warning banners at the entrances of such buildings,” V S Jayaraman of T Nagar Resident Welfare Association said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the CMDA has appointed a consultant to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) on fire safety management in T Nagar.

The CMDA has planned the redevelopment of George Town, Triplicane and Purasaiwalkam, where the development is haphazard. At George Town, for instance, 99 per cent of the buildings have violations and are operating without fire safety. “Triplicane and Purasaiwalkam also have several violated buildings,” an official said. The official added that the CMDA has plans for demolishing these buildings and redevelop the areas with the public participation. “However, the plan is yet to take off. We will take steps to implement the project after the Lok Sabha election,” the official added.