The Maharashtra government on Thursday, March 23, amended the Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act to prevent high-rise from fires with an IoT-based system.
This new system will alert flat owners on their mobile devices if fire safety guidelines fail. Fire safety parameters include water tankers, sprinklers, pumps, fire extinguishers, alarms, manual call-points etc.
The IoT-based sensors will be designed to maintain building fire resistance and ensure real-time monitoring and speedy repairs in high-rises, apartments that are 22-storey and above).
The system has to be installed compulsorily to ensure real time monitoring and quick repairing to keep building fire-proof all the time, which are critical in preventing blazes in high-rise.
Moreover, for buildings taller than 22 floors in Mumbai, the measure mandates the presence of a fire safety officer and a supervisor.
With the amendment in Fire Safety Act, the buildings will have to regularly conduct audits for structures with more than 10-storey every two years. If any violations of the Act's requirements are found, offenders could face fines of up to INR 1 lakh.
The bill also include changes in the height limitation for Mumbai. Parking facilities can now be erected up to 32-storey high, an increase from the current limit of 14-storey. Educational institutions can raise their building height to a maximum of 14 storeys, an increase from 9. And the height limit for warehouses is suggested to be raised to seven-storey from four.
In addition, to prevent fires in public complexes, hotels, hospitals, malls and other places too similar IoT-based fire safety systems should be installed.
The amendment was put forth by industries minister Uday Samant and has support from both the ruling and opposition parties. Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar confirmed the bill's passage in the lower chamber of the state legislature. The opposition led by NCP-Congress and UBT Sena did not protest the bill.
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