Chennai: Shopping hub T Nagar firewalled

Chennai: It was a bad day for business in shopping hub T Nagar as most of the commercial establishments, big and small, especially those on South Usman road had to shut shop due to the fire in the Chennai Silks building on Wednesday.

Police declared the area a danger zone as smoke failed to die down until late evening. Police cordoned off the area around the building and announced traffic diversions in the area around noon.

Vehicles were not allowed to use the Usman Road flyover as fire personnel were carrying out operations from the flyover to douse fire on the first and second floors of the building.

Motorists who wanted to commute via Usman road flyover from South Usman road were diverted towards Burkit road and proceed to their destination.

Similarly, vehicles towards North Usman road from Mahalingapuram road were diverted towards Bazullah road and those intending to go via Duraisamy subway from Ashok Nagar were diverted towards Arya Gowda road to proceed to their destination.

According to a senior police officer, "The traffic restrictions would continue in the night as the fire was yet to be completely put off." Residents in the surrounding areas complained of irritation in the eyes due to the thick smoke. Eateries and restaurants near the building were seen evacuating the gas cylinder from their establishments to prevent any untoward incident. "The shops shut down keeping their own safety in mind. We had a tough time keeping the curious visitors away," a police officer said.

No safety measures taken to prevent mishaps

Why do authorities wake up only when there is an accident? And why do they go to sleep thereafter?

This is the million dollar question on the minds of lakhs of Chennaiites who have been witnessing incidents of fire and building collapses due to apathy of government authorities.

If it was the Vadapalani fire accident, which claimed four lives, in the first week of May, it is the major fire at a shopping complex in T Nagar on Wednesday that alarmed people on the substandard safety measures in commercial places. Both the incidents expose poor planning and lack of monitoring by various government departments.

"Since the establishment of the retail shops in this area, we have been fighting for the safety norms here. It is an irony that many commercial establishments continue to function, even though they do not own adequate safety measures. Emergency exit cannot be found in many shops," K. S. Sridhar, president of the T Nagar Welfare Association, said.

As people with political connections own most of the shops, it is impossible to impose stringent measures on them, Sridhar opined. Social activists reiterate on the need for coordination between government departments to ensure that such mishaps do not repeat.  

"Chennai corporation, Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and fire service department should coordinate to appoint an IAS officer to check building violations. If the accident had happened in the peak hours, it would have claimed many lives. Why can't corporation remove encroachments from the roads, so that it can facilitate the entry of emergency vehicles?" asked V. Rama Rao, a civic activist.

Another social worker Anupriya Murugesan said they would like to know whether the building has received fire compliance certificate. "Most of the buildings in the city possess no automatic sprinkler system, causing a massive damage. The Wednesday fire accident should be a lesson to the government officers to ensure safety in all the city buildings," she said.