BANGALORE: The apathy of Public Works Department towards implementing fire safety measures is seen in the delay in refilling fire extinguishers at the Civil Court complex, where around 30 courts are functioning.There are more than 130 fire extinguishers placed at different places in the court complex. These fire extinguishers were last refilled on August 12, 2009. Many of these fire extinguishers lack labels that consist details such as date of refilling, due date for the next refill and the signature of the certifying authority.According to details available, these fire extinguishers are due for refilling on August 11, 2011. However, no efforts were made to refill these fire extinguishers even after three months.When contacted, a court official, on condition of anonymity, said that maintenance of the court complex was the responsibility of Public Works Department. “We are only occupants of this building. Necessary fire safety measures have to be implemented by the PWD officials,” he said.Due to shortage of space, the cellar of the old complex is used as the stationary and court property storage sections. Most of these items are easily inflammable. Also, the waste material and old furniture are dumped near the stair case. It would be difficult for the Fire and Emergency Services personnel to enter the cellar in case of an emergency. “No fire accident has taken place till now. I expect the PWD authorities to provide adequate storage space at the newly constructed court complex to accommodate stationary and property sections,” said an employee of stationary section on condition of anonymity.Making accessibility an issue is the parking. Visitors park their vehicles haphazardly wherever they find a place. This makes navigation a problem in case of an emergency.When contacted, PWD Assistant Executive Engineer, who is in-charge of maintenance of the court complex, Vijayakumar said that he was aware of the outdated fire extinguishers. “I will take measures to replace or refill the fire extinguishers as soon as the Government releases funds for this purpose. We have already sent a proposal to higher authorities to release the funds to install new fire extinguishers,” he said.When brought to his notice about a three-month delay to refill the fire extinguishers, he said: “How can I take up the work without funds? What else do you expect me to do when higher authorities delay sanction of funds? I hope the authorities release the funds as early as possible. A proposal has also been sent for construction of additional floors at the new court complex. The stationary and property sections will be shifted to the new court complex as soon as the construction is complete.”
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