2 weeks Ago By Vishal Patadiya
Surat: To prevent fires like the one at a City Light spa which killed two women, Surat police recently surveyed 198 spas, gyms, coaching classes and banquet halls in posh areas of the city such as Vesu, Umra, Althan, City Light, Ghoddod Road, Piplod and others, and found major fire safety and other violations. The survey was conducted in the jurisdictions of six police stations of Zone 4. Of 46 gyms and spas surveyed, police discovered that 31 did not have a fire NOC .
Of the 12 spas surveyed in Vesu and Umra, not a single one has a fire NOC. Surat police commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut told TOI: "After the recent fire in City Light, we brainstormed on proactive measures to be taken to avoid such incidents. There was another incident at Athwalines where several women fell unconscious in a banquet hall.
We then surveyed spas, gyms, coaching institutes and banquet halls where there are major safety issues. Initially, the survey was done in six police stations of Zone 4. This will be replicated all over the city.
We have sent the details of safety violations to the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC), which will take the necessary actions after verifying our survey results." This survey was done in six police stations, including Vesu, Umra, Athwalines, Althan, Khatodara and Pandesara. Of the 198 establishments surveyed, there were 34 gyms, 12 spas, 145 coaching institutes and seven banquet halls.
The survey included checking of fire equipment, fire NOC certification, entry-exit gate details and ventilation details. All 12 spas surveyed did not have a fire NOC, and most of them have ventilation issues. Four of these spas are in the Umra police station area where a fire took the lives of two women, while eigh are in Vesu.
Of the 34 gyms surveyed, 19 did not have a fire NOC. These included six gyms in Umra, four in Vesu, seven in Althan and two in Pandesara. Some have fire equipment handy.
Of the seven banquet halls in Vesu, Althan and Umra, two halls did not have fire NOCs. Police also surveyed 145 coaching institutes. The highest number, 43 institutes, were surveyed in the Pandesara area, followed by 29 in Umra, 23 in Althan and 21 in Vesu.
More than half of the coaching classes were found to have at least one violation. Many were operating without fire NOCs and with only one gate for entry and exit. Deputy police commissioner Vijaysingh Gurjar (Zone 4) told TOI: "Dedicated teams from police stations were formed to find these 198 establishments.
Police moved around in bylanes to find them. We also used Google search and maps." Stay updated with the latest news on Times of India .
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