Bombay HC Pushes Maharashtra Govt to Act on Fire Safety Standards

The Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court on Friday, October 11, that notices enforcing fire safety standards had been sent. This happened two days after the court criticised the government for failing to meet deadlines. The notification, dated October 10, is related to "Special Regulations for Building Vulnerable to Manmade Disasters".

The state's Additional Government Pleader, Jyoti Chavan, also presented two notifications from the urban development department to the court. These notifications, dated October 10, set special rules for buildings vulnerable to man-made disasters in Mumbai and Maharashtra.

The court ordered that all planning and civic authorities in Maharashtra must follow those notifications. They should also be published in the official gazette. The court ordered the chief fire officer of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to file an affidavit within two weeks.

On October 9, the court warned the state government about its delayed actions. It said that if the proper steps were not taken, the court would consider stopping all construction permits granted by planning authorities in Mumbai.

The warning came after a fire incident on October 6 in Chembur’s Siddharth Colony, where a fire destroyed a ground-plus-two-story building. Seven family members, including three children, died in the fire.

The court order was in response to a PIL filed by attorney Abha Singh, represented by counsel Aditya Pratap. The bench, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Amit Borkar, requested that the final notification be issued as quickly as possible. 

The new rules would include fire safety regulations under the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR), 2034, for Greater Mumbai, and the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR) for the remaining areas of Maharashtra.

The goal is to improve building and development permits and make sure they follow fire safety requirements. As per sources, the rules also address risks posed by both natural and man-made disasters.

The court also postponed the hearing until November 20. This came after the petitioner’s rejoinder mentioned that fire safety approvals were being granted to commercial and residential buildings without proper checks.