Ahmedabad Navratri Fire Safety: 1 Sq. M. Per Person, 2 Emergency Exits Mandatory As City Preps Strict New Dome Rules

Ahmedabad Navratri Fire Safety: Ahead of this year’s Navratri festivities in Ahmedabad, the number of premium and mid-level party plots featuring air-conditioned domes is expected to cross 60, up from around 50 last year. With this sharp rise on the radar, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation’s Fire and Emergency Services Department has drawn up a detailed public notice, which will be officially released shortly.

As preparations begin for large closed dome structures across areas including SG Highway, Sindhubhavan Road, and SP Ring Road, the fire department has laid down strict conditions on permissions, emergency exits, and electrical wiring to ensure the safety of garba participants and citizens.

30-Point Strict Fire Safety Guidelines Ready

To safeguard the public safety of lakhs of garba participants and citizens during the Navratri festival and prevent any fire-related mishaps, the Fire and Emergency Services Department has prepared a strict 30-point fire safety guideline for all garba organisers. A notice regarding this is expected to be issued in the coming days.

As per the guidelines, organisers will be required to allow entry strictly according to the pandal’s capacity, with a mandatory minimum of 1 square metre of space per person. In addition, at least two emergency exits, positioned in opposite directions within the pandal, are among the strict rules laid down.

Fire-Retardant Paint Mandatory On Stage and Pandal Curtains, Carpets

According to fire officials, mandaps, pandals, or temporary stages must be built at a safe distance from schools, hospitals, and warehouses storing inflammable material, to allow fire engines easy access. Structures cannot be erected under or near furnaces, sub-stations, transformers, or high-tension and railway lines, and a minimum gap of 2 metres must be maintained between structures.

No fixed partitions will be allowed inside the pandal, and the travelling distance to an exit must not exceed 15 metres. In the seating arrangement, a passage at least 1.5 metres wide must be provided after every 10 seats.

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For electrical safety, wiring inside the mandap must be inspected by a government-approved engineer as per the Indian Electricity Act, and a testing report must be submitted. Electrical switchboards must be made of AC or GI sheet. Curtains and carpets used in the mandap must be treated with fire-retardant paint. If a screen for displaying films is set up in the pandal, a safety film must compulsorily be shown on it.

What Arrangements Must Organisers Make For Immediate Fire Protection?

• Equipment deployment: For every 100 square metres of area, organisers must mandatorily keep 2 ABC fire extinguishers (6 kg capacity), 2 CO2 fire extinguishers (4.5 kg capacity), a covered drum containing 200 litres of water, and 2 buckets filled with sand.
• Water supply: Must not be less than 0.35 litres per square metre of floor area.
  
• Trained staff: Trained volunteers capable of operating fire extinguishers must be deployed round the clock throughout the garba event.
  
• Sand near the deity’s lamp: Sand must be kept beneath the lamp lit near the idol of the goddess, with at least one volunteer present there at all times.
  
• Public address system: A public address system is mandatory for making announcements in case of an emergency.
• Signage: Boards reading “NO SMOKING ZONE,” “Exit,” and “Emergency Exit” must be displayed using auto-glow material.
  
• Other approvals: Besides the fire department, organisers must obtain licences and NOCs from the police, traffic, and municipal corporation departments, and submit a self-declaration as per the Gujarat Fire Prevention Act and the National Building Code Part-4.