Activities at PVC market should be stopped till fire-safety arrangements made: Delhi Fire Service

The Delhi Fire Service has suggested to district authorities to stop activities at the PVC market in view of frequent fire incidents in the area until fire-safety arrangements are made by erecting a boundary wall to avoid spills and encroachment on roads, officials said on Tuesday.

The Delhi Fire Service has suggested to district authorities to stop activities at the PVC market in view of frequent fire incidents in the area until fire-safety arrangements are made by erecting a boundary wall to avoid spills and encroachment on roads, officials said on Tuesday. A letter was written by the fire department to the sub-divisional magistrate of Punjabi Bagh, suggesting measures to prevent the occurrence of such fire-related incidents at the market and minimise the consequential damage to the environment, they said.

''There have been frequent fire incidents at the PVC market and during fire-fighting operations, we observed that there were no proper fire-safety arrangements in place. There are no boundary walls either, so the chances of spilling remain high and the roads are also occupied. So we suggested to the district authorities to stop the activities at the market areas until steps are taken to prevent any such untoward incident,'' Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg said. ''It is requested that each plot must have a boundary of adequate height to avoid spills, encroachment on roads and also a shed to prevent the flying of burning shoots. Till these arrangements are made, the activity in the said market must be stopped,'' stated the letter dated July 16.

The district officials, however, said the revenue authorities have been visiting the site regularly to sensitise people and ensure that no encroachment takes place on the ground.

Terming a recent fire incident at the PVC market as the most ''intense and widespread'', the fire department said, ''It has been observed that the scrap is spilled outside the plots, covering almost the entire stretch of the road, and at some points, it is mixing with the scrap of other plots too. The situation is highly alarming from the fire safety point of view as it helps in propagation of fire at a rapid rate.'' The move comes after a massive fire broke out at an open godown in the PVC market in the Tikri Kalan area on July 11. According to the fire department, it took more than 200 fire-fighters over 10 hours to douse the blaze as PVC materials in huge quantities were stocked up at the spot and since the godown did not have a boundary wall, the risk of the fire spreading to the adjoining areas was high.

This was not the first time that a massive fire incident was reported at the PVC market. In May, two big fire incidents took place at the market following which a letter was sent by the fire department in June to the president of the market association, suggesting measures to prevent such incidents. A meeting was also held by the additional district magistrate (west) with the association members.

When contacted, SDM (Punjabi Bagh) Gurpreet Singh said last month, a meeting was called by the ADM (west), a detailed discussion was held with the PVC and plastic waste dealers, who were also sensitised about the suggested measures to prevent such incidents in the future.

The official said the revenue authorities have been visiting the site regularly to ensure that no encroachment takes place on the roads and are trying to enforce it more rigorously on the ground.

The district officials also said proper permission should be sought through proper channels for building any boundary wall to avoid illegal possession.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)