New Delhi, Feb 10 (IANS) As many as 6,891 people were killed and 284 wounded in 7,054 fire accidents recorded by the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) during 2023, the Lok Sabha was informed on Tuesday.

Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai, in an oral reply, said it is the primary responsibility of the State governments to take necessary measures

for strengthening and equipping fire services and to avert fire incidents in their jurisdiction.

He said the role of the Central government is to advise and offer support, in policy matters, to State Governments for undertaking prevention and fire safety measures.

Sharing details of the existing guidelines and provisions for fire safety, the MoS said the enforcement of fire safety regulations, inspections, accountability mechanisms and penalties are also governed by the respective State Fire Service Acts/Rules and local statutory provisions.

He said the Bureau of Indian Standards has published the National Building Code of India (NBC), 2016, which covers the detailed guidelines for construction, maintenance and fire safety of the structures.

The current version of the NBC, 2016, includes the aspects regarding smoke management, periodic audits, electrical fire prevention, building management system, sensors for firefighting and fire prevention, he said.

The international best practices in building construction, including fire safety, were also considered in revising the respective chapter of NBC, 2016, he said.

In addition, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has framed the Model Building Bye Laws 2016, for guiding the States/UTs for revising their respective Building Bye Laws.

It also contains a Chapter on fire protection and fire safety requirements, which prescribes the norms and standards for fire protection, and its effective enforcement is in the domain of the States/UTs, said Rai.

The Minister of State said that recognising the need for expansion and modernisation of fire services in the States, the 15th Finance Commission recommended a provision of Rs 5,000 crore for strengthening the fire services at the state level.

The Central Government has launched a “Scheme for Expansion and Modernisation of Fire Services in the States” on July 4, 2023, from the Preparedness and Capacity Building Funding Window under the National Disaster Response Fund for strengthening fire services in the States with a total central outlay of Rs 5,000 crore, said the MoS.

The measures included in the scheme provide setting up of new fire stations, strengthening of State Training Centres and capacity building, provisions for modern fire-fighting equipment, strengthening of State Headquarters and Urban Fire Stations, technological upgradation and installation and augmentation of online system, he said.

--IANS

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