SC Seeks Centre’s Reply on Gaps in Fire, Disaster Preparedness

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre and others on a plea seeking orders to identify and fill significant infrastructural and manpower shortfalls in fire services, road emergency response and disaster preparedness.

A plea from a man who lost his daughter in a Surat fire event in 2019 was being heard by a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and the Centre received a notice from the top court requesting that they respond to the plea within four weeks.

"Issue notice, returnable within four weeks," the bench said.

The petitioner, who appeared in person, claimed that the National Building Code of India 2016 was not being implemented strictly, and many fire incidents were occurring across the country.

The plea has sought directions to authorities to establish a nationwide accountability dashboard on emergency response availability and performance, and to make district-wise fire risk audits mandatory and make the data public.

Additionally, it has requested the establishment of a high-level judicial panel to oversee the execution of the NDMA and fire services mandates and suggest punishment for the authorities who fail to comply.

The appeal has sought an order for the creation of a national special bench or tribunal to fast-track tragedy-related victim cases, including those lingering for over three years.

It has also sought to advocate a constitutional change or judicial interpretation that preserves the right to emergency protection and reaction as part of Article 21 of the Constitution, which deals with the protection of life and personal liberty.

The plea has sought a direction to the Centre "to formulate a uniform national financial compensation mechanism for all disaster-related deaths, ensuring equal dignity and protection for every Indian citizen".

It said that the Ministry of Power and others be directed to implement quarterly safety audits, public alert systems and standard operating procedures for infrastructure maintenance, and provide immediate compensation and accountability in case of electrical infrastructure-related deaths.