By IANS
New Delhi : Although it is 10 years since the Uphaar cinema hall fire in which 59 people were killed, most movie goers are not sure if Delhi theatres are equipped with the necessary fire fighting equipment to prevent recurrence of such a disaster.
On Tuesday, a Delhi court convicted building tycoons Sushil and Gopal Ansal and 10 others for their role in the Uphaar fire. The 59 victims were asphyxiated to death while watching the film “Border” on June 13, 1997.
College student Vinay Sharma expresses the doubts of common people. “I don’t know if any of the cinema halls are equipped to handle such a crisis again when everyone would be trying to get out at the same time. In big theatres, even on a normal day, there is only one channel open for exit after a show.”
Well-known model Amanpreet Vahi follows her own safety measures. “My friends and I never get up from our seats until 90 percent of the crowd has left the hall. We deliberately do it as only one exit door is opened after a show.”
“There should be more exit gates in cinema halls,” Vahi told IANS, adding that she never visits concerts in the city as she finds them “highly mismanaged”.
Sabrina Lal, sister of murdered model Jessica Lal, does what most people do. She believes all security measures must be in place. “I go to cinema halls and other public places with my friends believing that the authorities must have taken all security measures. We have sometimes found fewer exit gates at venues.
“I believe cinema hall owners have adopted fire fighting measures after the Uphaar tragedy. But they should take more initiatives to minimize chances of such accidents,” Lal said.
However, even the authorities and cinema hall owners maintain the possibility of such accidents can never be ruled out despite their best efforts.
“The tragedy has left behind unforgettable lessons and we have learnt from failure. We have already upgraded all mechanisms and systems to avoid any such incident in the future,” Delhi deputy chief fire officer A.K. Sharma had told IANS earlier.
“Before the Uphaar accident, reviews of safety measures were not held once licences were issued to the theatres, but now we visit each hall every quarter and ensure that security norms are in place.”
He said fire-fighting equipment like water nozzles, water tanks, extinguishers, and glowing exit signboards are especially scrutinised. Special attention is also paid to the emergency exit doors.
According to Vishal Anand, spokesperson of the Fun Republic chain of multiplexes, the tragedy at Uphaar was due to panic. More lives were lost due to asphyxiation and stampede than from the fire.
“We have charted a specific evacuation plan with the assistance of fire officials. The audience can easily be moved to a safe place without creating any panic (in case of emergency),” Anand said.
Ashish Shukla, spokesperson of PVR Cinema, a chain of multiplex theatres, agreed: “We are adhering cent percent to safety measures, with latest fire-fighting equipment.
“We have taken great care to ensure that loose electric ends are not left open and all sensitive places are marked as no-smoking areas. All the green exit signs are backed up by a UPS so that they remain lit in the event of a power failure,” Shukla assured.