HYDERABAD: With fire accidents on the rise in the city, TOI readers say the fire dept must step up enforcement against illegal connections, hold officials accountable and use advanced technology to keep residents safe. They also want people to be proactive and follow all safety measures.
Prioritise prevention
An increasing number of fire accidents in buildings highlights serious gaps in fire safety and electrical maintenance.Short circuits, overloaded wiring, ageing electrical systems, illegal alterations, poor housekeeping, and the conversion of basements and other spaces into godowns are some of the common causes of fires.Many older buildings need periodic electrical audits, rewiring, and proper maintenance, while every building should have functional fire extinguishers, alarms, emergency lighting, clear evacuation routes, and unobstructed fire exits.Fire-fighting equipment must be regularly inspected, and residents and workers should be trained in basic fire-response and evacuation procedures.Prevention, regular inspection and compliance, not merely action after a tragedy, are essential to save lives and property.Nittala Siva Prasad
What the department is focusing on
Penalise ownersOnce the cause of an accident is determined to be a short circuit, the building owner should be penalised and punished for negligence.Frequent checks should be carried out in all areas of the complex or warehouse. A permanent electrician should be appointed. The electricity department should ask every apartment to maintain a logbook. Cables and wires should be checked regularly.Premnath Gopalrao Mudaliar
Be responsible
Safety is paramount for everyone. We should upgrade the electrical wiring in old buildings.The initiative should come from individual owners. They need to be proactive, check the wiring periodically and properly maintain their buildings.The same goes for the electricity department, as it too needs to maintain wiring on roads and upgrade it periodically to ensure that it does not pose any danger, especially during the rainy season. Unless everyone acts responsibly, we cannot all be safe.Simy Menon
Need better surveillance
In recent years, a number of fire accidents have occurred in Hyderabad. Electrical faults, particularly short circuits, unauthorised storage of chemicals and lack of fire safety measures are the leading causes of these accidents.It is necessary for the fire department to improve its surveillance and conduct annual fire safety audits of all residential and commercial buildings and hospitals in the state, particularly old buildings, scrap godowns and unauthorised businesses in cellars, and caution people to follow fire safety measures.It should be made mandatory for every residential or commercial complex to obtain a clearance certificate from the Fire Services Department at least once every five years, failing which a heavy penalty should be imposed on such buildings.Guru Prasad Achanta
Remove illegal connections
It’s true that many buildings, especially in the Old City area, are old and might need new wiring.But how come similar fire accidents are happening near the newly built, so-called Hi-tech City? I feel these accidents are because of poor-quality electrical appliances and switchboards.Above all, the main cause may be illegal connections from main lines and poles, especially during festival seasons, as many use them for streetlights and mics. This needs to be checked and prevented.Yasoda Achanta
Make officials accountable
As a father of a one-year-old baby who had to stay in the NICU for four days, it is traumatising to see infants dying in a fire at a hospital.I can totally feel what the parents of those children must be going through. So, every measure that is supposed to be taken, be it changing old wires, must be taken to keep our children safe.There is no point in politicians visiting the site after an incident happens. Officials concerned should be held accountable and action should be initiated against those responsible.Maaz Shariq
Rewire old buildings
In big cities like Hyderabad, one of the main reasons firefighters cannot reach affected areas in time is the narrow roads and the height of some buildings.The immediate need is for the electricity department to rewire old buildings more than 50 years old at the earliest.The fire department has sophisticated equipment to put out fires, including a robot fire extinguisher that gives clear information about the location.As the city is growing very fast, buildings below 15 metres in height must also be brought under the Fire Department’s purview.Venkat Rudra
Establish more stations
More fire stations need to be added in high-risk areas, especially in the central zone, as 65% of fire hazards are from this area. Since a majority of the areas are residential, strategically located fire stations are crucial.Electrical safety protocols must be enhanced, as circuits are overloaded, wires are faulty and maintenance is poor. The department should upgrade its equipment and clear trees and weeds around transformers and poles.AV Yadappanavar
Technology
Enforce rules
The fire department needs to upgrade its equipment and improve surveillance to prevent accidents in cellars doubling up as godowns.The underground area of any building must not be used as a godown, as this poses a risk and can result in fire accidents if highly inflammable substances are stored there or if exits are blocked in case of a fire.I feel we have stringent rules on paper, but implementation is where there is a problem. So, rules must be strictly implemented, especially in high-risk areas.Sadhana Vikram Bhosale
Amend fire act
Developers frequently restrict structures to 14.9 metres (roughly G+4 floors), intentionally to circumvent fire safety regulations.The core of the proposed amendment to the Telangana Fire Service Act, 1999, is to bring buildings below 15 metres in height under mandatory fire safety regulation, eliminating a long-standing loophole that exempted nearly 99% of urban structures from official fire department scrutiny.The amendment must be made immediately, and all buildings should be brought under the department.Ravi Kant
Make annual audits mandatory
Be it individual houses or gated communities, this is a very sensitive and important issue.I believe certain state governments insist on electrical audits every year for all commercial buildings, and this should be displayed prominently in the building.Hanging wires should be corrected and unwanted plug points should be closed. Switchboards must be above 4ft from the floor and not accessible to children.The use of ACs in summer during peak periods should be regulated and closely monitored, as voltage drops due to excess load may result in short circuits and fire accidents in buildings.Multiple outlets should be made available at charging stations for EVs, preferably in gated communities.SR Dhravid
Guidelines for industries, other establishments
Use advanced tech
With incidents of fires in buildings increasing in the city, it is necessary to rewire old buildings to prevent accidents caused by short circuits.Fire safety certificates also need to be revised periodically. The Fire Department should make use of advanced technological equipment for better fire safety and emergency response.They must properly inspect shops in basements. It is better to restrict the number of high-rises if the equipment we have cannot douse fires beyond a certain height.Gajanan Pandey
Hire qualified electricians
Almost every day, there are fire accidents due to short circuits.The reason is that the wiring in residential or commercial buildings is carried out by unqualified electricians. We do not have a system of hiring only qualified electricians who have undergone training.This must be addressed. Also, before supplying electricity to a new building, the department must inspect and certify the building, stating that the wiring has been done as per norms.Dr AM Dayal
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