Ahmedabad: Every major fire safety drive in Ahmedabad is usually spurred by a blaze and deaths elsewhere. This time, Ahmedabad Fire and Emergency Services (AFES) launched a citywide drive after fire accidents killed 36 people in Lucknow and Delhi.During its safety checks, AFES sealed 13 hotels and one coaching institute and sent notices to 154 hotels and 62 educational institutions. Audits covered fire extinguishers, emergency exits, escape routes, and electrical safety systems. Major coaching centres and hundreds of hotels were inspected.After 22 students died in the Surat’s Takshashila coaching centre fire in May 2019, more than 2,000 Ahmedabad coaching centres lacking emergency exits were sealed within weeks. The centres had been operating for years.After eight Covid-19 patients died in the Shrey Hospital fire in Aug 2020, mandatory fire audits were rushed across all Ahmedabad clinical establishments — monitored directly by Gujarat High Court.Then, after 27 people died in the Rajkot TRP Game Zone fire in May 2024, inspections swept through Ahmedabad gaming zones, temporary structures, cinema halls, and schools.Each drive was swift, visible, and significant in scale. Each was triggered by deaths — rarely as a preventive measure.ZONE-WISE ENFORCEMENTWest Zone: 47 hotels and 12 educational/coaching institutes issued notices; 7 hotels and 1 institute sealedNorthwest Zone: 24 hotels and 5 institutes issued notices; 6 hotels sealedCentral Zone: 27 hotels and 8 institutes issued noticesEast Zone: 16 hotels and 24 institutes issued noticesSouthwest Zone: 20 hotels issued noticesSouth Zone: 13 hotels and 3 institutes issued noticesNorth Zone: 7 hotels and 10 institutes issued noticesBOX 2A’bad inspection recordMay 2024 (after Rajkot Game Zone fire): Strict inspection was carried out of all indoor gaming arenas, temporary structures, malls, and major schools across Ahmedabad following the TRP zone disasterAug 2020 (after Shrey & Vijayawada Hospital fires): HC-monitored, mandatory fire infrastructure checks were conducted across all private hospitals, nursing homes, and clinical hubsMay 2019 (after Surat Takshashila fire): Immediate sealing of more than 2,000 coaching institutes and commercial hubs lacking proper emergency exit staircases
