BANGALORE: Visvesvaraya Towers, when it was inaugurated around thirty years ago, was hyped to be a model building for high-rise buildings in Bangalore. The twin-towers were, in theory, fire safety compliant. The State Government spent a considerable amount of money to install fire safety equipment on premises. For example, the Fire and Emergency Services department has placed a fire squad station on the 22nd floor of the Tower. Unfortunately, like in the case of other government buildings, bad planning, inadequate infrastruture facilities and shortage of staff impede fire personnel’s efforts to protect people in case of an emergency.Shortage of staff is a huge issue here. There are five vacancies for fire personnel in the eight sanctioned posts. A cursory inventory of equipment shows that the personnel have no breathing apparatus to use during emergencies. It is mandatory for all buildings to have safety exits. But, in Visvesvaraya Towers, even the lifts meant for everyday use are not functional. Of the four lifts, one lift permanently is “out of order” to the extent that the employees working in the building have forgotten when the lift was last functional.Well, if you think there is always the stairs, then you should also know how to navigate in the dark as there are no lights in the staircase in some floors. “We cannot use the lift during emergencies. We have to use the staircase. How can one use the staircase without any light? The maintenance department has not bothered to replace the fused bulbs,” said a fireman on condition of anonymity.Vehicles parked haphazardly on premises creates accessibility issues. On a working day, the building premises look like a used-car mela, say employees. There is no sufficient space for people to enter through the gate, leave alone a fire tender.Treasured department Ironically, the Public Works Department recently renovated the State Treasury Office on the ground floor. However, it conveniently forgot to provide an extra door to ensure safe passage for the employees during emergencies. “It has only one door, which leads out of a corridor where several old almirahs are placed. The Treasury Office urgently needs an emergency exit to avoid loss of life during emergencies,” said a fireman.However, the Public Works Department officials say that they have been waiting for the Treasury department to clear space for an emergency door. “We will make provisions for an emergency door as soon as they move the almirahs from the corner, where the proposed emergency exit is planned,” says N R Nagaraj, Executive Engineer, PWD.On parking, Nagaraj said that some of the offices will soon be shifted to the newly constructed Revenue Bhavan (Kandaya Bhavana) near Cauvery Bhavan. “These offices are expected to be shifted by January,” he said.
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