The entrance of the Margao Municipal New Market.
MARGAO
With as many as four Chief Officers having presided over the administration of the Margao Municipal Council (MMC), including incumbent Chief Officer Madhu Narvekar, a pertinent question being raised is whether any of them have personally inspected the Margao municipal markets to ensure implementation of the fire safety measures recommended by the Directorate of Fire Services following the December 26, 2023 fire incident at the New Market.
The question assumes significance as the Fire Services had submitted a comprehensive set of recommendations to the civic body in the aftermath of the blaze. These included not merely the installation and maintenance of fire hydrants, but also ensuring that entry and exit points in the markets remain unobstructed, imparting emergency response training to volunteers and taking other precautionary measures to prevent and tackle fire incidents.
Apart from the Chief Officers — Sankhwalkar, Ajit Panchwadkar, Melvyn Vaz and the incumbent Madhu Narvekar — questions are also being raised over whether municipal engineers and their subordinate staff have taken any concrete steps to implement the recommendations over the past three years.
Barring the installation of 15 fire hydrants around the New Market and Gandhi Market, several other recommendations appear to have remained unimplemented, raising concerns that the Fire Services’ directions may have been reduced to little more than files gathering dust in the municipal building.
Even with regard to the newly installed fire hydrants, the Municipality is yet to arrange training for its workers and security personnel deployed at the two markets on their operation, including the use of fire hoses during emergencies.
Another crucial recommendation made by the Fire Services after the December 26, 2023 incident was that the MMC, being the licensing authority, should direct stallholders and shop owners to install two sets of fire extinguishers in their respective establishments.
A senior fire official has pointed out that the responsibility for implementing the recommended fire safety measures rests squarely with the local body.
“The markets are owned by the municipality. The MMC cannot shirk its responsibility in implementing the fire safety measures. If a major fire incident takes place, the local body will conveniently shift the blame on the Fire Services,” the official said.
DDMA’s role under scrutiny as safety concerns persist
File photo of the December 26, 2023 fire incident at Margao’s congested New Market.
Questions are also being raised over the role of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in reviewing the fire safety preparedness of the Margao markets following the December 26, 2023 fire incident, particularly in view of the Authority’s initial intervention to ensure compliance with basic fire safety requirements in the congested market areas.
The issue assumes significance against the backdrop of concerns that local bodies may turn a blind eye to violations of fire safety norms in public spaces, either due to administrative apathy or political considerations.
Sources point out that the DDMA has an important role to play in ensuring accountability when civic authorities fail to act. “Since the civic body may not be willing to crack the whip against encroachments or enforce fire safety guidelines due to political considerations, the role of the District Disaster Management Authority comes into play. It must remind the civic body of its responsibilities and invoke the relevant provisions of the Disaster Management Act, wherever necessary, to ensure compliance,” sources said.
With fire safety in two of Margao’s busiest and most congested commercial hubs are at stake, the larger question remains whether the authorities will move beyond assurances and paperwork to ensure that the recommended safeguards are actually implemented on the ground.
