The recent inspection carried out by the Fire and Rescue officials has spotted drawbacks in the safety standards maintained by theatres.
However, the officials who conducted the inspection are short of teeth to take action against the theatre owners for not having enough safety gears as per the National Building Code.
Joe Kuruvilla Ishaw, Divisional Officer of Fire and Safety Department, said that only five theatres in the city have proper fire prevention system. The remaining cinema halls are yet to install it.
He said they cannot compel theatre owners to install the fire hydrant system because these safety gears became mandatory only after 2005.
“Many theatres were built before the regulation. So we can only direct them to install the new security system. The National Building Code has been changed recently making the security measures like the hydrant system a must,” he said.
Another official said that since these safety gears are highly expensive the theatres are not serious about purchasing and fitting them. “It’ll cost them lakhs of rupees to install the system, he said.
Meanwhile, the secretary of the Kerala film Exhibitors Federation M C Bobby said that it has been following the Cinematography rule. “As per the rule we have to keep only adequate number of extinguishers and sand buckets inside the cinema halls. Moreover, we have allocated enough space inside the theatres for the smooth movement of fire engines,” he said.
However, district town planning chairman K J Sohan said that it is the duty of Fire and Rescue officials to ensure the fire safety systems inside theatres. “We are issuing licence after the certification of the Fire and Rescue officials. If there is serious concern over security, action should be taken by the Fire and Rescue Services,” he said.
