In the wake of the repeated fire incidents which have happened in Noida and Greater Noida recently, the residents of Galaxy North Avenue-2, decided to conduct fire safety mock drill. However, the illegal shops, operating just outside the society, prevented the fire brigades to enter into the society. This left the residents angry and agitated.
They informed City Spidey that the fire safety experts, firstly, checked the fire fighting equipments installed within the society. According to the residents, the experts found that the fire fighting cylinders were outdated and empty.
“It was shocking to know that almost all fire fighting equipments were outdated. We are heavily dependent on it. We have removed all fire fighting cylinders and have asked the management to replace them with new ones,” said a resident.
As well, the residents had to face another hurdle at the gate. They decided to call a fire brigade to check how much time it takes for fire brigade to reach the spot in case of fire. The fire brigade reached outside the society in quick time but it could not enter the society because the gate was encroached by illegal shopkeepers.
“The society has two gates for coming in and going out. But, one gate remains closed due to permanent encroachment in front of it. When we spoke to the shopkeepers, they said that they have been allowed to run their shops in front of the gate,” a resident said.
“This was just a mock drill. But, imagine what would have happened in the case of fire. We immediately called the local area police and informed about the incident. They said that removing encroachment comes under the jurisdiction of local administration. We have written a letter to Greater Noida Authority requesting them to clear the encroachment outside the gate of the society,” said Manjul Yadav, a resident of the society.
Residents alleged that these temporary shops have been rented out by shopkeepers of the society and the developer. “The management charges heavy amount for the safety of the residents. We have made several complaints to the management of the society and developer as well. But, nothing has been done,” Yadav added.
