A new safety bill has been presented in Maharashtra State Assembly on March 21, 2023. The bill will update the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measure Act, 2006. The new safety law states that all buildings taller than 22 floors, including residential and industrial structures with hazardous activities, must appoint a dedicated fire safety officer for safety. Additionally, the bill states these buildings must set up an IoT-enabled fire safety mechanism for 24×7 monitoring of potential fire incidents. Furthermore, a bi-annual fire safety audit is now mandatory to assess preparedness. Violators of these new safety regulations can face imprisonment of up to three years and a penalty of up to INR 1 lakh.
Advancing upon the efforts of the Maharashtra government, RR Kabel hosted another press conference on April 6, 2023, in Mumbai, where Mr. Shreegopal Kabra, Managing Director, RR Kabel, and past president, IEEMA; accompanied by Mr. Rajesh Kabra, Managing Director, RR Parkon, Jitendra Mehta, President, CREDAI-MCHI (Thane), PS Rahangdale, Retired Deputy Municipal Commissioner -Disaster Management (MCGM), Ex-Chief Fire Officer (MFB) & Director (Maharashtra Fire Service) highlighted the lack of attention paid to high-quality wires and cables in our country. The leaders stressed the necessity of implementing strict penalties against developers who use poor-quality wires and cables. Wire and cable manufacturers like RR Kabel aim to improve safety in the nation by encouraging the use of LS0H (Low Smoke, Zero Halogen) wires as they do not release any hazardous mixture of gas, acid, and smoke in case of any fire- accidents.
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Addressing the issues, Shreegopal Kabra, said, “In cases of fire accidents, consumers are unaware of the fact that the smoke created from electrical mishaps is much more dangerous than the actual fire itself. We, at RR Kabel, aim to take strategic measures to raise awareness among citizens about these aspects of electrical fire safety. We wish to educate them that using good-quality wires is an ideal solution to curb such dangerous fire disasters. We want people to understand key aspects of electrical fire safety, make a commitment with us to create a safe nation, and help reduce the number of fatalities caused due to poor quality of wires.”
Mr. Jitendra Mehta, said, “Property is a solid asset class for any home-buyer, and the safety factor of owning a safe home is beyond any comparison. For investors, investing in a house is a safe and secure option that helps both – rental income and capital appreciation. The sad reality is that consumers are unaware of the importance of electrical fire safety that must be maintained when they plan such investments. Today, we aim to create that awareness and educate our consumers and stakeholders about this harsh reality to ensure our future is safe.”
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Sharing his views on this topic Dr. PS Rahangdale, who has been awarded with Fire Service Medal For Gallantry (3 occasions) and Meritorious Services from President Of India said, “Around 73% of all human fatalities in the previous ten years, according to ASCI data, were caused by electrocution, due to electrical fires. A lesser-known truth is that during a fire breakout, smoke inhalation kills more people than the fire itself. So, even though the new bill has announced new guidelines for fire safety, it is necessary to address the underlying issue and prevent such fire-related disasters from ever occurring. Fire Safety is a critical feature for any structure be it high-risk buildings, constructions, hospitals, educational institutions, and public buildings and the increasing population in urban areas is more life-threatening putting more people at risk. In my opinion awareness and stringent laws to implement electric safety will bring the changes.”
