Why are buildings not protected from fire outbreaks?

01 Jun 2019 Editorial Team

Among the most recent reports, 20 students were killed and several injured after a major fire broke out – triggered by a short circuit – at a coaching centre in Sarthana area of Surat. According to India Risk Survey (IRS) 2018, as reported, fire outbreak is the third biggest risk to business continuity and operations. “The recommendations for construction of low-rise and high-rise structures should be properly followed,” says Dr Pramod Kumar Gupta, Professor, Structural Engineering, Department of Civil Engineering, IIT-Roorkee, adding that, in most cases, basic recommendations are not followed. “The used material should meet the specified requirement of fire resistance. A new version of IS 456 specifically covers different structural elements as per fire resistance.”

Consider this: In Delhi, a fire broke out at Arpit Palace hotel in Karol Bagh on February 12 and a four-storey building belonging to gift store Archies on February 14. Last year, a fire broke out in Beaumonde Towers in Mumbai’s Prabhadevi, the complex where actor Deepika Padukone resides; also, the government-run ESIC Kamgar Hospital located in suburban Andheri in Mumbai caught fire. Reports revealed that the hospital contained inflammable material owing to ongoing construction work, which caught fire, and the flames spread rapidly. Also, firefighting equipment was reportedly not in place.

While non-compliance of safety norms and under-equipped fire services are responsible for the sudden increase in risk posed by fire outbreaks, the use of low-quality or wrong building materials does contribute to such mishaps.

SHRIYAL SETHUMADHAVAN

Infrastructure Urban

17 Sep 2025

DCPC Prepares for Special Campaign 5.0 with Focus on E-Waste

The Department of Chemicals and Petrochemicals (DCPC), Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers, is gearing up for Special Campaign 5.0, to be held from 2nd to 31st October 2025. The initiative will focus on e-waste disposal as per MoEFCC’s E-Waste Management Rules 2022, space optimisation, and enhancing workplace efficiency across field offices.Special Campaign 4.0, conducted between October 2023 and October 2024, delivered notable results in record management, grievance redressal, scrap disposal, and cleanliness drives.Key outcomes of Special Campaign 4.0Records management: 2,443 physical fil..

BlackRock India Leases 1.4 Lakh Sq Ft in Bengaluru

BlackRock Services India, the domestic arm of global asset manager BlackRock, has leased 1.4 lakh sq ft of office space at IndiQube Symphony in Bengaluru, according to Propstack data. The 10-year deal is valued at around Rs 4.10 billion.The lease, among the largest transactions in India’s co-working sector, highlights the growing preference of global institutions for flexible office providers. The agreement, commencing October 1, 2025, covers ground plus five floors in KNG Tower 1 at Ashoknagar, MG Road — one of Bengaluru’s prime commercial hubs.As per the lease document, BlackRock will ..

L&T Bags Rs 25–50 Bn Order for Mumbai-Ahmedabad Bullet Train Track Works

Larsen & Toubro’s (L&T) Transportation Infrastructure business has secured an order valued between Rs 25 crore and Rs 50 billion from the National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) for the Mumbai-Ahmedabad High Speed Rail (MAHSR) corridor.The contract, Package T1, involves the design, supply, construction, testing, and commissioning of 156 route km of high-speed ballastless track on a Design-Build Lump Sum Price basis. The stretch runs from Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex to Zaroli village in Gujarat and includes 21 km of underground track and 135 km of elevated viaduct.Se..