The Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) has directed residents and building owners within the civic body limits to not install grilles on balconies, as they are unsafe and go against rules. A circular regarding the same was issued by BBMP Chief Gaurav Gupta on Wednesday, September 22, a day after a fire broke out at an apartment building in the city while residents were still trapped inside, killing two.
Noting that the installation of grilles and practising other unsafe measures is common across the city, the BBMP said, “In the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) limits as per the building construction guidelines of 2003 and National Building Code of India-2016, after obtaining Occupancy Certificate (OC) and Commencement Certificate (CC), covering the balcony and additional construction or modifying in the balconies is against the rules of these guidelines.”
The BBMP said that, going forward, any construction or modification that goes against the housing rules or guidelines will not be permitted. “If there is a need for modification at the residential complexes and other buildings, pre-approval must be obtained from BBMP competent authorities,” the circular stated.
On September 21, a fire broke out in Bengaluru’s Ashrith Aspire apartment following a cooking cylinder blast, with residents still stuck inside when the blaze engulfed the building. Four units were gutted in the incident, which led to two people losing their lives. Visuals from the scene showed Rekha (59) and her mother Lakshmi Devi (82) trapped in their balcony, which had a grille, shouting for help.
The Hindu quoted a resident of Ashrith Aspire saying that the grilles were not installed by the builder, but by individual residents. The resident said that they were installed after some cases of burglary in the area. He also said that while many grilled balconies had an option for emergency exit, the one where the two women were trapped did not.