Fire crackers, a potential inferno

With Diwali right around the corner, shops and stalls selling fireworks have started cropping up in all parts of the city. But, it is also to be noted that they are potential fire traps. If there is any mishap, the shop and its vicinity could turn into an inferno.

It may be recalled that due to poor fire prevention methods, a shop by the name of Shanti Fireworks caught fire in 2002 at Begum Bazaar. There was another such incident in the Nellore District where two persons lost their lives at the Sri Vigneshwara Fire Works Building. To prevent any such untoward incidents, AP State Disaster Response and Fire Services Department has set a few guidelines and norms for the shops and stalls which intend to sell firecrackers and other such items.

P Venkateshwar, director, fire prevention wing said, “All the officials from independent fire stations have the authority to issue NOC (No Objection Certificate) to all the shops after completing our pre-requisites.”

In case the shops do not possess a NOC, they can be prosecuted as per the law. The guidelines that have been drawn up for the shops and stalls which intend to sell fireworks are:

They must be located in open areas

They must be located in single storied buildings which must not be located near congested localities

They must be equipped with fire-fighting equipments as per the National Building Code

The shops must not be allowed in buildings near residential and commercial areas

To obtain a NOC, the shop proprietors or owners must fill out a proforma and put forth their deficiencies to the authorities. Afterwhich, they will have to pay a treasury challan of Rs 2,500. For those shops which intend to sell crackers only during the season, they have to remit a sum of Rs 500 only. Till date, the state disaster response and fire services do not have a complete list of NOCs filed. They say that they would get the complete list a day or two before the festival begins.

The equipment that has to be maintained for shops within a building are:

Hose Reel

Hydrant

Automatic Sprinkler system

A static storage tank with a capacity of 1 lakh litres

But due to the incessant rains that have been lashing the city for the past week, firecrackers had to face the damp atmosphere. To prevent the crackers from malfunctioning, a few shops in the city have begun using various methods to keep the crackers dry. A worker of a cracker shop in Mahankali market said, “We are doing our best to dry them in the sun as far as possible otherwise we are using blowers to keep the moisture away.”

Responding to this P Venkateshwar said, “We would advice them from taking up such activities as any amount of heat can ignite these crackers. Our advice is to store these crackers properly and handle them with care.”