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Though the exact amount of loss could not be immediately ascertained; according to the sources, dress material worth several crores of rupees was devastated. The precious objects like gold jewellery and silver articles were beyond recovery. The estimated loss was in tune to Rs. 420 crore.

Meanwhile, the then Housing Minister argued that the showroom in T. Nagar has been violating norms ever since its construction in 2000. It was allegedly an illegal construction from the time it was constructed. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) reportedly granted approval only for ground and four floors and the respected authorities demolished three floors ensuing violations. However, the building owner allegedly managed to obtain interim orders against the action from the High Court.

Figure 1- The most detrimental deviation was fire-safety infrastructure like warning and alarm systems, automated sprinkler systems and so on were absent, defunct or not according to code. | Photo Credit: S.R. Raghunathan Source- The Hindu

It had been observed that many buildings in the T Nagar area continued to exist in violation of building norms despite even the HC’s intervention. In 2008, superstore Saravana Stores and another adjacent building housing more than 80 shops on Ranganathan Street were engulfed in a blaze for more than nine hours. The loss of property was estimated was in crores. Despite all the alarming bells rang by these incidents; no precautionary measures taken by the tenets of in T Nagar. They were loath to install fire safety systems, only making the Chennai Silks fire an accident waiting to happen!!!

After the Saravana Stores fire, the Tamil Nadu Fire and Rescue Services conducted a fire safety audit in about 150 commercial buildings in T Nagar. It was then revealed that not even one reportedly adhered to even the basic fire safety norms. And this was not even the first such official finding. According to retired IAS officer MG Devasahayam, who was reportedly a part of a Madras High Court-appointed monitoring committee for building violations, a 2006 HC-mandated survey of Ranganathan Street in T Nagar found close to 75 buildings there violating existing norms.

While approval had been given for a floor space index of 1.5, most of these buildings had gone up to 7.5-8. Similarly, while the height of buildings was restricted to two floors, most buildings had been built up to seven or eight floors. Adding to the clutter, the road had also been encroached upon, reducing its width drastically from the mandated 60 feet. On the top of all, the parking spaces in the basement were also converted into commercial space, and fire facilities were “overlooked” completely.

The monitoring committee found that the entrances to Usman Road on either side of Chennai Silks and to Ranganathan Street were far too narrow to allow hydraulic vehicles of the fire service to enter the area for rescue operations. Additionally, most buildings had completely violated the norm of providing a setback area of 7m. Most of the buildings allegedly also did not have the mandated fire escape staircases on the exterior of the buildings. Even where such staircases existed, they were used for storing goods, blocking off access.

The violation of fire safety norms has continued despite even the High Court intervening in the matter more than once converted T Nagar into a ‘tinderbox’. These issues have existed for decades. Following a PIL filed in the court, which the HC asked a monitoring committee from the fire department to look into the matter. The fire department conducted the audit and found several deviations there.

The most detrimental deviation was fire-safety infrastructure like warning and alarm systems, automated sprinkler systems and so on were absent, defunct or not according to code. Aarush Fire Systems Pvt. Ltd. provides complete solution right from fire system designing to implementation to training.