KOCHI: In the aftermath of Thursday’s steam-boiler explosion at an eatery in the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) stadium complex, UDF councillors alleged that the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has failed to rectify safety risks to the stadium. They urged Kochi corporation to take action to prevent future accidents and resolve safety issues indicated by the district fire officer.
Referring to the fire department’s 2022 inspection report, opposition leader Antony Kureethara said the authority should fix the issues identified.
“The district fire officer had sent a letter to the GCDA requesting the sorting out of deficiencies pointed out in the fire-safety inspection. GCDA responded that the issues were resolved. However, the fire department found that nothing had been done to overcome the shortcomings and the stadium is reported to be unsafe,” he said, adding that despite being alerted to the dangerous condition of portions of the roof of the stadium, no action has been taken.
The emergency exits are not working efficiently and gas cylinders are stored in large quantities on the premises, the report said, directing the authority to put an end to construction work that obstructs emergency exits.
Following the blast, the health department inspected other establishment within the stadium complex and issued notices to seven outlets that were being run without proper licences and in violation of protocols.
The council meeting on Friday also decided to carry out inspections of establishments within corporation limits.
“Structural-stability certificates for these establishments are issued by the local body. Thus, it falls upon the corporation to examine the structural stability of the stadium. The public are placed at risk when construction work happens around high-power transmission cables,” said M G Aristotle, UDF parliamentary party secretary, adding the government should take action to avoid such risks.