Thiruvananthapuram: The Fire Force has launched a drive to inspect the height of buildings in Thiruvananthapuram as part of its fire safety checks.
The drive aimed at finding buildings that have broken the height restriction as per the building and construction rules began on Wednesday.
Buildings that are likely to come under scrutiny include hospitals and shopping malls. The decision to carry out the inspection comes after it was found that illegal structures often hinder safety and security operations.
It was only during accidents and disasters that the illegal increase in height of buildings come to the notice of security personnel, affecting rescue operations.
The list of buildings that has illegally increased their heights will be handed over to the fire force chief, the collector, the corporation secretary, and the panchayat and municipality directors for further action. The inspection is being held when a safety audit of buildings in the city is already in progress.
Three officers who do not belong to the Chenkalchoola unit have been assigned the inspection drive. At present, the height limit set for buildings like hospitals and shopping malls is 30 metres. The drive aims to collect the details of all buildings that are higher than the allowed limits.
Most buildings unsafe
According to the safety audit, 750 buildings have already been inspected in the past three months. They include cinema theatres, hospitals, shopping malls and hotels. Most of these buildings do not have proper fire safety systems.
Though several buildings have necessary facilities, they are not in a working condition. None of the buildings inspected have enough safety precautions in case of a sudden fire.
The safety audit was launched in Thiruvananthapuram on directives of the fire force chief in the wake of frequent fires in big cities. The audit is being carried out by four teams that include 16 personnel under the leadership of Chenkalchoola assistant divisional officer Suresh Kumar.
Though buildings that do not have satisfactory safety measures have been given notice, only 20 of them, mostly hotels, have informed the department that they have taken necessary measures.
Read: Thiruvananthapuram News | Kerala News
