The managements of over 1,600 schools in the city have been given ultimatums to install fire safety equipment before schools re-open in June or face closure. The fire prevention wing of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation has instructed the school education department to cancel the recognition of educational institutions that do not comply with fire safety measures. Officials said there were 500 big schools each having more than 500 students. There are over 2.50 lakh students in these 500 schools and all these schools are located in non-multi-storeyed buildings.
Mr C. Lakshmi Prasad, additional director, the fire prevention wing (FPW) of GHMC, told this newspaper, “We have given almost two years to schools to install fire safety equipment. But only 500-odd schools, of the total 2,154 institutions that were served with notices, have complied. We, (GHMC fire prevention wing officials and education authorities), will jointly start inspecting the schools shortly and close down all such institutions that fail to install the prescribed fire safety measures.” The names of schools that fail to obtain the No Objection Certificates (NoCs) from FPW after providing fire safety equipment, will be posted on the website of the GHMC for the information of parents. The FPW is taking legal opinion on booking criminal cases against all such schools.
Reacting sharply, representatives from some of the school managements said nobody would want to put the lives of students at risk. “Several managements are ready to install fire safety equipment but what can they do if there is no provision or space for expanding the width of the staircase or providing an additional staircase in the school building? Besides, many schools are located on rented premises where owners have rejected pleas to make alterations for providing an additional staircase,” said a representative of an educational institution.
However, the FPW additional director Lakshmi Prasad said, “We are not going to take any excuses as two years are sufficient to install fire safety measures. Summer vacation is the best time to install fire safety material. Though we (FPW) gave a long list of equipment, it was reduced for the convenience of school managements stating they put in place at least these minimum, but crucial, life-saving measures before re-opening of schools,” he said.