Central Railways keeps report on CST fires under wraps

The Central Railway (CR) on Thursday said it had formed a core committee at the headquarters to formulate a policy on fire-fighting after a series of fires at CST in the last two weeks.

“All departments will have one person responsible for implementation of fire-related policies and decisions. All the electrical wirings, fittings will be checked and changed if required,” a CR spokesperson said.

He said they have ordered an inspection of all water hydrants at the station. Most of them were found to be non-functional on the day of the fire.

The decision has been taken following the recommendations of the committee that had been formed after the fire at CST. The committee’s investigation report has, however, been kept confidential by the authorities and is being studied by their own managers.

But the report of the fire brigade has been made public, and it has blamed the CR administration for lapses. It also called for a re-haul of the fire-fighting system at CST.

Fire officials said that many stall owners operating at CST failed to submit fire safety certificates and other relevant documents.