Power supply to 14 high-rise buildings in Bengaluru was cut off by Bengaluru Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM) on Monday, November 4, for violating building norms.
The electricity was cut off from the buildings in Indira Nagar following a report by the Karnataka Fire and Emergency Services (KFES). The report highlighted that many buildings in the area had violated the original building plan and did not comply with the guidelines as prescribed by the government.
"These buildings had violated norms by constructing additional floors over what had been sanctioned by Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP). They had failed to meet fire safety norms," managing director of BESCOM, Rajesh Gowda, was quoted as saying by Deccan Herald.
The decision was taken after BESCOM received the report submitted by the KFES. The officials had recently held a meeting in this regard.
High-rise building and procedures it should follow
Any building over 15 metres of height is considered as a high-rise building in Karnataka. These buildings are required to have a fire safety plan, that includes an action plan which can be taken by the occupants in case of a fire.
All high-rise buildings over 30 metres or above in height should have a fire control room on the entrance floor with a public address system that can send messages to all floors.
If it is a hotel or a business establishment that are 30 metres or above in height, a fire officer should be appointed for the building.
Earlier this year, KSEF had found that 132 high-rise buildings in the Silicon Valley violated the fire safety norms as they did not have fire exits. The department had issued notices to 176 high-rise buildings in Karnataka, out of which 132 were in Bengaluru.
