TimesView Jaipur is sitting on a ticking time bomb as hundreds of commercial buildings in the city do not have fire NOCs or required fire safety equipment. These buildings include coaching centres, rooftop restaurants and commercial complexes. The city is yet to fully learn from the tragic accidents that occurred recently at a Surat coaching centre, where 22 students lost their lives, and from the Mumbai Kamala Mills incident that claimed 14 people. The JMC and JDA did sent notices to many such places and even closed down a few coaching centres. But these efforts need to be intensified as Friday’s incident clearly indicates. The government should make sure that all commercial buildings follow required safety norms without letting political interference handicap its work.

JAIPUR: An LPG cylinder explosion triggered a major fire at Kafka, a rooftop restaurant-cum-bar, located near Rambagh Cricle on Tonk Road here on Friday morning.The blast took place on the fifth floor of the building around 6.45 am. The cylinder burst after the fire broke out, which was possibly triggered by a short circuit. Five fire tenders took more than an hour to douse the flames. The deafening explosion, which reverberated through the road teeming with morning walkers, was followed in quick succession by towering flames that could be spotted from a distance. Chief fire officer (CFO) Jagdish Phulwari said he led the team through thick black smoke to the fifth floor of the uptown restaurant.“The fire broke out around 6.45am and within a few minutes the cylinder exploded. In a corner of the restaurant, there was a small dining area under a fiber shed. The explosion was so powerful that the fiber roof was blown off in seconds,” he said, adding that the restaurant will be issued a notice for operating without a fire NOC.There were broken glasses, charred furniture and broken flower pots strewn all over on the fifth floor. One portion of the restaurant was gutted in the fire while the remaining part remained intact, including the entry gate. Narayan Shankar Tiwari (61), a resident of nearby Bapu Nagar area, said he had gone past the JMC building and was about to enter SMS stadium when he heard a loud explosion.“The blaze was leaping out of the building. People were screaming and some morning walkers ran for cover,” he said. Three employees were present in the building when the fire broke out. “I was sleeping inside the restaurant when at 5.30am I heard sounds of sparks. When I headed to check the spot, I saw flickering flames which was building up into a major blaze. All of us rushed downstairs only to hear the LPG cylinder exploding,” said employee Shivraj Gujjar.