According to officials, the Odisha government has initiated a month-long special campaign to assess fire safety readiness in important public and business facilities around the state. The inspection campaign, which will last until October 15, comes after a recent fatal hotel fire in Delhi that killed 23 people, they said.
“New buildings generally have the required fire-safety measures. The concern is with older buildings, which need functional and active fire-safety systems to tackle possible fire incidents,” Sarangi said.
The campaign’s goal, according to the Odisha Fire & Emergency Services, is to evaluate current fire-safety procedures, pinpoint areas where improvements are needed, and encourage compliance in order to better prepare communities for emergencies. Officials said that establishments discovered violating or straying from fire-safety regulations would be penalized. They further stated that notifications would be sent to the affected owners and the cases would also be brought to the attention of the appropriate development authorities.