Bengaluru: Keeping an eye on growing rate of fire accidents in the state, electricity supply companies are all set to act tough on the establishments by disconnecting power supply to buildings that do not comply with fire safety rules.

The government issued a circular recently to all four electricity companies to cut the electricity supply for the establishments including high rise residential apartments which have not followed the newly framed fire safety rules.

The government has also given a free hand to seal the buildings if found violating the norms set by government.

Acting upon the circular, electricity supply companies, BESCOM, GESCOM, HESCOM and CHESCOM, have recently conducted a survey and inspection of buildings in their respective jurisdictions.

Apropos, fire and emergency services department has identified as many as 15,056 high rise buildings in Bengaluru alone, which do not have No Objection Certificates or clearance certificates.

Shockingly, more than half of these buildings are residential apartments. Others are mostly hotels and PGs.

Coastal city Mangaluru and Hubballi together have 3397 buildings which have not incorporated the fire safety rules. Again most of these buildings are residential apartments.

Quite recently, fire and emergency services department re-inspected 2212 buildings in Bengaluru and found that out of these 1208 buildings had not taken any fire safety measures despite several warning notices to these owners of the building.

Fire department has recommended to the BBMP and the BESCOM for power disconnection and withdrawal of occupancy certificates.

But, no such recommendations have been made so far to other electricity supply companies, sources said.

In Mysuru city the department is yet to complete the inspection work.

The fire and emergency services department has conducted inspections at 32 high end hotels, 27 malls and multiplexes, 21 museums and art galleries, 30 high assembly buildings and 15 palace grounds convention centers in Bengaluru city.

Government of Karnataka has framed measures for buildings of 15 meters and above in height to comply with fire safety measures in 2011.

Although the number of fire accidents in the state is very much low compared to other states, the growth rate of fire accidents is constantly going upwards.

Karnataka reported 700 odd fire accident deaths in the last three years.

According to an official, on condition of anonymity, said that most of fire accidents deaths are attributed to stove burst incidents.

Most of such incidents go unnoticed unless the victims are treated in hospitals, he said.

Adding further, high rise buildings might cause larger number of fatalities in case fire breaks, but it is rare to happen. Government should look at the people who live in slums who are more vulnerable to such incidents, he said.

According to another officer, again not willing to disclose his name, said, the state fire and emergency service department is not well equipped to handle major fire accidents.

The department lacks necessary equipment like larger cranes to reach top floors of several buildings here in Bengaluru.

The cranes available in the department can reach up to normally built 12 floors of a building, he said.

When the Cartel tower building fire accident happened, government promised to bring in more sophisticated cranes but it still is in cue, he added.

P Lokesh, attached to fire accident rescue team, said that government has relaxed the norms to allow for taller buildings in the city, but has not given required equipment to handle fire accidents in case of those buildings for the department concerned.

Just mock drilling awareness programme in public places at the time of fire accidents alone cannot serve the purpose, he opined.