Hyderabad: Expressing anguish over the functioning of the various departments in providing safety measures for the Numaish at Exhibition Grounds, the Telangana High Court directed the director general of the State Disaster Responsive and Fire Services to file an affidavit by February 25 as to what infrastructure was in place for the All India Industrial Exhibition and the steps planned to move people to safer places in case of any disaster.
A division bench comprising Justice Raghavendra Singh Chauhan and Justice T. Amarnath Goud, while hearing a PIL questioning the lack of fire safety measures, directed the Director General of Police to ensure that a sufficient number of police personnel is deputed at the Numaish to evacuate visitors if any untoward incident occurs.
The bench directed the GHMC commissioner to file an affidavit explaining the facts and circumstances under which he accorded permission to the president, Exhibition Society, to hold the Numaish in the absence of a no-objection certificate from the fire department.
Not satisfied with the details submitted by the district fire officer regarding steps to prevent fire accidents, Justice Chauhan warned fire services officials not to neglect their duties. He said that it appeared that the fire department officials did not know the rules of the Fire Services Act.
Justice Chauhan said, “The Fire Services Act says that a marriage which takes place in an area of 500 square metres needs permission from the fire department. Is it necessary or not to take an NoC to conduct the Numaish at Exhibition Grounds which is spread across 24 acres? You are saying an NOC was not necessary. Would you say that the law does not require what is needed?”
“According to your claims, at least 30,000 people visit the Numaish on an average…you have placed only two fire engines. The number of fire engines is expected to increase only after a fire. This is the tragic condition prevailing in our country. We wake up only after the disaster and never take action to prevent it,” the judge said.
CJ to allot MLC case to bench
Justice Challa Kodanda Ram of the Telangana High Court directed the High Court Registry on Wednesday to place the petitions of disqualified MLCs Ramulu Naik and Yadava Reddy before the Chief Justice for allotment to the appropriate division bench.
The petition sought the setting aside of Legislative Council Chairman A Swamy Goud’s order which disqualified them on grounds of defection. The judge took this decision after the Election Commission of India’s junior counsel said that petitions regarding disqualification of MLAs and MLCs should be adjudicated by a division bench and cited the Supreme Court judgement in the Bajarang Bahadur Singh case.
Earlier, Supreme Court senior advocate Salman Khurshid, a former Union law minister, appeared for Mr Naik and said he was nominated by the Governor and not the TRS, and does not belong to any political party.
