Administrative nod to installing fire safety equipment in Maharashtra ZP schools

* Government gives administrative approval to proposal for installing fire safety equipment in 62,105 schools in State

Staff Reporter
Soon, depending upon the budgetary provision, the primary and upper primary schools under all Zilla Parishads (ZPs) in the State will have to install fire safety equipment to avoid any fire emergency situation. Recently, State Government has given administrative approval to a proposal in this regard.
School Education and Sports Department has conveyed to Chief Executive Officers (CEOs), Education Officers (Primary), and Group Education Officers under all ZPs in Maharashtra that the Government has granted administrative approval to the proposal. Director (Primary Education) had sent a proposal in this regard to the department on January 13, 2015. Now, the Government has given a green signal to installing the fire safety equipment in 62,105 primary and upper primary schools under ZPs. Each school will get three units of the equipment.
Mahaveer Mane, Director (Primary Education) confirmed the development. He told ‘The Hitavada’ that fire safety equipment would be provided to schools that have kitchen facility to provide Mid-Day Meals to students. “Though administrative approval has been granted for all the primary and upper primary schools under ZP in the State, we will now call for proposals from schools that have requirements in this regard,” he said.
However, Mane said, as the proposal has got administrative approval only, deadline for installing fire safety equipment cannot be set as budgetary provision is yet to be made for the purpose. Soon, he added, training programme for students, teaching and non-teaching staff of the schools will be chalked out.
Kishor Chaudhary, Education Officer (Primary), Nagpur ZP, welcomed the development. There are total 1,581 primary, upper primary, and other schools of ZP in Nagpur district. “Installing fire safety equipment will definitely improve the safety standards of schools in rural areas.
It may be recalled here that after the fire incident in a school at Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu, Central Government had called for ensuring fire safety in schools throughout the country. In Maharashtra, fire safety equipment were installed in schools where cooking activity was being undertaken as part of implementation of Mid-Day Meals Scheme. Right to Education Act, which is being implemented across the country including Maharashtra, also makes it mandatory for schools to ensure fire safety. Following this, when an assessment of equipment already installed in schools was taken up, it was found that many equipment had become outdated and most of these were not functioning. Hence, a fresh proposal was sent by Director (Primary Education), said sources. 

(Filed on February 17, 2015)