Fire Hazard Venues?

CWG venues yet to get fire safety certificate

Headlines Today Bureau New Delhi, August 13, 2010

With barely 50 days to go for the Commonwealth Games (CWG), the key venues are yet to get a fire safety certificate.
 So far, only three venues have been given the mandatory fire safety clearance while as many as 17 stadia are yet to get it. That includes the venue for opening and closing ceremonies - Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Indira Gandhi Stadium.
 Ironically, most of these stadia are yet to even apply for the fire safety certificate.
 As the Commonwealth Games Federation (CGF) chief, Mike Fenell, has set August 18 deadline for all the venues to get all the regulatory approvals, it spares just five days for the CWG organising committee (OC) to secure the no objection certificate from the Delhi Fire Service.
 Delhi Fire Service director R.C. Sharma said, "So far we have cleared three stadia -- Thyagaraj stadium, Chhatrasal stadium and Karan Singh shooting range. We have got some more requests on last Friday which we are inspecting."
 Moreover, none of the venues has secured a building completion certificate as yet. These venues don't just need regulatory approvals from various departments but even Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC) should also clear them. But the process for that has not been initiated yet.
 Delhi Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta said, "Completion certificate can be sought only after DUAC gives a clearance. The local body cannot issue a certificate until the DUAC clears it."
 DUAC chairman K.T. Ravindran said, "We are ready to hold an extraordinary meeting to clear all CWG venues. All we want is that Games should be held successfully."