UPSC Key: Integrated Battle Group, Emergency Response Support System and Fire Safety

Indian Ocean links India, Seychelles… want to make it ocean of opportunity: PM

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests

What’s the ongoing story: India envisions an Indian Ocean where maritime security is ensured alongside economic prosperity and where partnership is not based on size, but on mutual respect and trust, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a three-day visit to Seychelles, said on Sunday.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Map Work– Seychelles

• Why Seychelles is important in India’s Indian Ocean policy?

• What is India’s MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) Vision?

• Know the significance of MAHASAGAR in India’s maritime diplomacy.

• What are the emerging areas of cooperation between India and Seychelles?

• Indian diaspora in Seychelles-know in detail

Key Takeaways:

• “Our vision is to make the Indian Ocean an Ocean of Opportunity,” he said, after delegation-level talks with Seychelles President Patrick Herminie, during which the two sides reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on regional and international issues of mutual interest, including challenges in the Indian Ocean Region like illegal fishing, drug trafficking and piracy.

• Addressing the National Assembly later in the day, Modi said the Global South, especially island nations, was the most impacted by climate change, and called for climate action guided by “fairness, responsibility and equity”. He said those who had contributed the least to climate change should not bear the greatest burden of its consequences. “This is the essence of climate justice,” he said.

• Modi, the guest of honour for Seychelles’ National Day celebrations, was also conferred with the honorary ‘Guardian of the Blue Horizon’ title for his commitment to environmental conservation and sustainable development.

• The key outcomes of talks between the two sides reflected the broadening of New Delhi’s engagement with the strategically located Indian Ocean archipelagic nation, expanding cooperation across defence and maritime security to connectivity, capacity building, development partnership, digital payments, space, healthcare, agriculture and education.

• “We believe the Indian Ocean is our shared home. Its security, sustainability and prosperity are our shared responsibility,” Modi said after the talks. He said the two sides discussed making bilateral economic cooperation more resilient and future-ready. “We will continue to explore new opportunities for the industries of both our countries. Work will also be done to enhance connectivity between India and Seychelles,” he said.

• In his statement, Herminie said: “As maritime neighbours, security in the Indian Ocean Region remains central to our relationship. We reaffirmed Seychelles’ special place in India’s Mahasagar vision. We affirmed our commitment to counter piracy, drug trafficking, illegal fishing, and cross-border crime.”

• He also acknowledged India’s support in strengthening the country’s maritime capabilities through surveillance, hydrography and defence capacity building.

• The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the outcomes of the talks between the two sides included an extradition treaty aimed at strengthening cross-border crime cooperation, an agreement on cooperation in the peaceful uses of outer space, an agreement to advance UPI-based digital payments in Seychelles, an umbrella line of credit agreement with the Export-Import Bank of India, and an agreement for preliminary preparations for a new Seychelles National Hospital.

• The two sides also announced the gifting of a fast patrol vessel to Seychelles, the handover of 10 utility vehicles and five Laser Radial class boats to the Seychelles Defence Force, the completion of the refit of PS Zoroaster for the Seychelles Coast Guard and the upgradation of a Dornier aircraft with a glass cockpit.

Do You Know:

• The island republic of Seychelles is located in the western Indian Ocean. Seychelles is situated between 4° and 11° S latitude and 46° and 56° E longitude. The major islands are about 1,000 miles east of Kenya and roughly 700 miles northeast of Madagascar. Victoria, the capital, is on Mahé Island.

• India and Seychelles have an elaborate architecture of defence and security cooperation that has deepened over the years against the backdrop of the growing menace of piracy and other economic offences in the strategic Indian Ocean region. The fact that President Herminie came to India within the first 100 days of his swearing-in spells out the importance the island nation accords to India.

• The doctrine of MAHASAGAR builds on SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and indicates a broadened scope of India’s maritime engagement. This perceptibly includes not only the immediate neighbourhood but also extends to the broader Indo-Pacific space and connects with India’s strategic collaboration with QUAD members—the United States, Japan, and Australia.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍From 5 Indians to 5% of population: As PM heads to Seychelles, a look at the ties binding the two nations

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

📍Why is maritime security vital to protect India’s sea trade? Discuss maritime and coastal security challenges and the way forward. (UPSC CSE 2025)

📍In 2012, the longitudinal marking of the high-risk areas for piracy was moved from 65° East to 78° east in the Arabian Sea by the International Maritime organisation. What impact does this have on India’s maritime security concerns? (UPSC CSE 2014)

Army set to establish, operationalise first Integrated Battle Groups next month

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate.

What’s the ongoing story: The Army is set to establish and operationalise its first Integrated Battle Groups (IBG) by next month, marking a significant transformation under which self-contained, agile, brigade-sized fighting units will be carved out of the Panagarh-based XVII Corps — the mountain strike corps (MSC) facing China — for swift deployment in mountainous areas, The Indian Express has learnt.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is an integrated battle group?

• Why Army is establishing its first Integrated Battle Groups (IBG)?

• What is the XVII MSC?

• What are the major features of integrated battle group?

• Why is military agility becoming increasingly important in modern warfare?

• How integrated command structures will improve the operational effectiveness?

• What is the significance of Integrated Battle Groups in strengthening India’s military preparedness?

Key Takeaways:

• Sources privy to the development told The Indian Express that the earlier plan was to create four IBGs under the two divisions operating under the XVII MSC — the 59 Division and the 23 Division — by September. However, this is now learnt to have been advanced to July 1.

• According to the existing plans, four IBGs and a fire support group will be created under the XVII MSC. Each of the five will be commanded by a Major General rank officer. Each IBG will comprise over 5,000 troops, with 12-13 units, and may have a Brigadier-rank officer as the Chief Operations Officer.

• While the four IBGs will be created from the two divisions of the XVII MSC, the fire support group comprising artillery platforms will likely operate directly under the corps headquarters. The newly created Divyastra batteries of the Army could be placed under this group.

Do You Know:

• Each IBG, comprising over 5,000 troops, will have battalions of infantry, artillery regiments, Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Combat Engineers, Army Service Corps and a field hospital. The IBGs will be especially crucial in mountainous terrains, as their agile nature allows rapid deployment, eliminating the wait for the entire corps to mobilise.

• Each IBG will have battalions of infantry, artillery regiments, as well as elements of the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME), Combat Engineers, Army Service Corps, and a field hospital or others.

• The creation of the IBGs is part of a larger restructuring plan of the Army, which includes the creation of Bhairav battalions, Rudra brigades, Divyastra batteries and Shaktibaan units. The Rudra brigades, commanded by a Brigadier, will also have multiple elements, but will be dependent on the division for more support. IBGs will be larger in size and more self-contained and independent in nature.

• These will be the first IBGs of the Army — a move proposed in one of the four studies initiated by then Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on the restructuring of the Army. The plans to establish IBGs have been under discussion for about seven years now. These plans of capability development are premised on capacity, and not a threat-based model.

• The IBGs would be capable of carrying out both offensive and defensive roles against an adversary’s attack.

• The concept was test-bedded at the IX Corps on the western border with Pakistan around 2019, but remains to be implemented. The IBG concept was also experimented with multiple exercises conducted in the eastern theatre, including Exercise HimVijay in 2019.

• The IBGs can be rapidly deployed in the mountainous areas, thus reducing the time for an entire corps to mobilise. A corps comprises up to a lakh troops and takes a longer time to get deployed.

• Sources had earlier indicated that the strength of an IBG lies in its swift application and flexible nature, and its creation would ensure better cohesiveness for various combined arms operations. Once established, they can also be deployed under specific theatre commands.

• Over the last decade, China, too, has transitioned from older divisions to smaller, more versatile Combined Arms Brigades (CABs), integrated with tanks, artillery, air defence and support units, designed for joint operations.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Exclusive: Plans for four agile Army battle groups in the east gather pace

The Editorial Page

It’s time to resume the India-China strategic economic dialogue

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies II: India and its neighbourhood- relations.

What’s the ongoing story: Sanjaya Baru writes-The difficulties Indian trade negotiators are facing in concluding a bilateral trade agreement with the US point to the need for a more nuanced approach to trade with China

Key Points to Ponder:

• What is the history of India-China relations?

• India-China Relations during Nehruvian Era-Know in detail

• The 1962 India-China War-Know the background

• India-China Border Dispute- Know the background

• Standoff between India and China-what you know about the same?

• Friction between India and China-what are the reasons?

• How can India balance economic pragmatism with strategic caution in dealing with China?

Key Takeaways:

Sanjaya Baru writes-

• Last week in New Delhi, India’s national security advisor Ajit Doval told his Chinese interlocutor, foreign minister Wang Yi, “India and China are partners, not rivals,” and added, “a stable India-China relationship serves the common interests of both sides.”

• Echoing these sentiments, Wang suggested that both sides should “respect each other’s core interests, properly handle sensitive issues, place the China-India boundary issue in its appropriate position, and prevent it from affecting the overall situation of bilateral relations.”

• He then called for both sides “to accelerate the resumption of dialogue mechanisms and promote exchanges” in trade, finance, and other fields. It is a timely suggestion that should be taken up in right earnest.

• Fifteen years ago, at a time when India-China relations were on a more even keel, Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Wen Jiabao agreed to launch a bilateral strategic economic dialogue. The Indian delegation was headed by the deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, and subsequently the deputy chairman of the NITI Aayog. Between 2011 and 2019, six meetings were convened. After 2019, the dialogue has remained suspended. Not much seems to have come out of those dialogues.

• With the recent improvement in India-China bilateral relations, there have been several interactions at the military, security and diplomatic levels. There is an urgent need for a resumption of a meaningful and focused economic security dialogue. India’s chief concern remains the wide and widening trade deficit, with mercantilism occupying an important place in Beijing’s economic policy toolbox.

• The strategic economic dialogue had a wider remit and was aimed at improving macro-economic policy coordination, promoting exchanges on economic issues and enhancing India-China economic cooperation. Working groups were established on a wide range of subjects, including energy, infrastructure, pharmaceuticals, high tech, resource conservation and environmental protection. After the events of 2020, the stand-off and clashes along the line of actual control, this dialogue was suspended.

• In the new global context in which India now finds itself and given the thaw in India-China relations, it is necessary that the focus of bilateral relations should not be confined only to extant differences on the border issue. While it is not clear if the leaderships of both countries are today in a position to resolve those differences amicably, the definition of “core” issues must extend beyond the geopolitical to include India’s developmental concerns.

• India’s own developmental priorities necessitate a wider engagement with China on economic issues. China must recognise that sustaining economic growth and building India’s industrial capacity is also a core issue for India.

Do You Know:

Sanjaya Baru writes-

• The weaponisation of trade, finance and energy by the United States that began almost a decade ago and became intense following the Russia-Ukraine war, remains a matter of concern for both countries. The fact is that initially, China was the principal target of US and European action, but India suffered collateral damage. The trade measures that President Donald Trump took against China in his first term also hurt India. In his second term, Trump has directly targeted India on trade and energy.

• The expression of solidarity within BRICS, as has recently been in evidence, is a sign of wider developing country concern about developed economy actions. It is becoming increasingly clear that as Asian economies rise, the “West vs Rest” divide stares us in the face. As the second largest economy, can China play a more positive role in the rise of the Rest, instead of being seen as contributing to their deindustrialisation?

• To be sure, the huge and persistent trade deficit today is also a reflection of the fact that the Indian private sector has become dependent on imports from China. Consider the business traffic between the two countries. Many Indian companies, large and medium-scale, continue to make a beeline for China in search of machinery and technology. Clearly, a growing economy like India can no longer afford to minimise economic links with the world’s second-largest economy, especially when signals from the largest economy remain worrisome.

• The difficulties Indian trade negotiators are facing in concluding a bilateral trade agreement with the US point to the need for a more nuanced approach to trade with China. Any strategic economic dialogue today will have to once again emphasise Indian concerns about the trade deficit but go beyond it to find meaningful ways in which India and China can pursue win-win economic cooperation. India’s rise should be viewed as offering opportunities to many Asian economies, including China. A strategic economic dialogue between Asia’s largest economies can meaningfully explore these opportunities.

• When Prime Minister Wen met Prime Minister Singh in 2006, the former began his conversation with the observation that Asia’s rise is contingent upon the rise of both China and India. It is a different matter that over the past two decades, China has risen at a faster pace and now occupies a commanding position in the global economy. However, increased economic cooperation between the two biggest Asian economies can be a win-win proposition if China adopts a more forward-looking policy towards India. It is necessary to explore these possibilities.

• All this requires a change in mindset in both capitals. Between 2006 and 2019, there was a willingness in both leaderships to explore areas of potential economic cooperation. After 2020, it would appear that the military and security leadership had taken charge of the relationship, relegating economic interaction to the background.

• Recent events, including the last summit between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping, give some hope for a more positive approach to the bilateral relationship in both capitals. However, just as the national security dialogue is conducted by the NSA, the economic security dialogue should be conducted by an economic czar who can command the PM’s attention and ensure speedy implementation of decisions taken.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Explained: China-India state of play

Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:

📍‘China is using its economic relations and positive trade surplus as tools to develop potential military power status in Asia’, In the light of this statement, discuss its impact on India as her neighbour. (UPSC CSE, 2017)

📍With respect to the South China sea, maritime territorial disputes and rising tension affirm the need for safeguarding maritime security to ensure freedom of navigation and over flight throughout the region. In this context, discuss the bilateral issues between India and China. (UPSC CSE, 2014)

Explained

Iran oil is back, but Indian refiners aren’t rushing in

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: General Studies II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.

What’s the ongoing story: US Department of the Treasury on Monday (June 22) issued a waiver allowing production, delivery, and sale of Iranian oil, petroleum products, and petrochemicals till August 21.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Know the brief history of India’s Iranian oil imports.

• What percentage of India’s oil import is imported from Iran?

• India’s dependence on crude oil imports from Iran-What you know so far?

• What is the role of Iranian oil in India’s energy security?

• US sanctions on Iranian crude-Know its impact on India

• Why Iran is important for India?

• What is the role of OPEC in global oil pricing?

• How can India reduce its dependency on oil imports?

• What crude oil means?

• What are the types of crude oil?

• Why India is dependent on crude oil?

• Where does India import oil?

• India’s domestic crude oil and natural gas production has declined steadily-why?

• What steps have been taken by the Government of India to reduce the imports of crude oil?

Key Takeaways:

• The US has also committed to removing its naval blockade of Iranian ports. Both measures are being counted upon by Tehran to move its oil—which has for years been predominantly exported to China—to the wider international market.

• The sanctions waiver does present an opportunity for India, once a major buyer of Iranian crude. As The Indian Express recently reported, the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) has started reaching out to international oil companies, including Indian refiners, and trading houses seeking meetings and calls to resume commercial and trade relationships.

• Sources in India’s refining sector said that the companies are in touch with the Iranian side and deliberations are on regarding the techno-commercial feasibility of lifting Iranian oil under the waiver.

• A ‘techno-commercial feasibility study’ is a comprehensive evaluation to ascertain if the crude oil under consideration is technically compatible with the refineries and is commercially and logistically practical to purchase.

• Although some barrels of Tehran’s oil are bound to make their way to India over the next two months as refiners look at lifting discounted opportunistic cargoes, industry experts and insiders don’t expect large-scale buying by India, at least for the time being.

• Indian refiners are expected to tread cautiously amid a fragile peace agreement and lack of long-term clarity on the future of Iranian oil. Moreover, it remains to be seen if the logistical and payment-related challenges usually associated with Iranian oil trade will ease alongside Washington’s waiver.

• “Refiners considering Iranian crude will focus on three key factors: the durability of sanctions relief, pricing and discounts, and the availability of payment, insurance, shipping, and logistics mechanisms. Of these, payment remains the biggest hurdle,” said Sumit Ritolia, manager, modelling & refining at commodity market analytics firm Kpler.

Iran’s oil and gas fields. Before the Hormuz crisis, China was buying almost all of Iran’s oil exports. (Wikimedia Commons)

• Apart from Iran’s petroleum sector, its financial sector is also under US sanctions, creating payment-related and other logistical constraints in its oil trade. Refinery executives said that calls on Iranian oil imports will be taken once there is clarity on all these aspects. Indian refiners steer clear of oil and gas under US sanctions to avoid the risk of attracting secondary sanctions from Washington.

Do You Know:

• Experts say that India’s buying behaviour during the month-long sanctions waiver on Iranian oil issued by the US during the West Asia war also supports the argument that they are unlikely to quickly ramp up crude imports from Iran.

• After a gap of nearly seven years, Indian refiners again bought Iranian crude in April. But the imports from Iran stood at just 530,000 tonnes, or just about 3% of India’s overall oil imports for the month, as per data from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCIS). Ritolia said that the previous waiver generated very limited participation from non-Chinese buyers because of payment restrictions and other issues.

• Furthermore, oil scarcity was a major motivation for India during the previous waiver as they scrambled to make up for the lost supplies from other West Asian countries. But if crude from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others starts flowing normally again, India has little reason to take on the compliance risk attached to Iranian barrels, said Katona.

• “It is worth looking at the previous waiver, which was issued on March 20. India bought only two Iranian cargoes under it, and they arrived in mid-April…Based on that earlier pattern, I would expect the biggest increase in Indian buying interest for the second half of July. That is probably when companies will start trying to secure as much oil as possible, while still leaving enough time to complete the payments and deliveries before the waiver expires,” she said.

• According to her, payments made to Iranian entities after August 21 would carry a serious compliance risk, so Indian refiners will not want to get too close to the deadline. After that, whether or not they touch Iranian barrels will largely depend on the fate of the waiver.

• “Even if discussions between buyers and sellers become more constructive, refiners are unlikely to commit significant volumes while US sanctions policy remains subject to rapid changes. The key issue is not just access to Iranian crude today, but confidence that the trade can continue tomorrow,” Ritolia said.

• China is likely to return as the dominant buyer of Iranian crude once oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz normalise. Before the crisis, China was buying almost all of Iran’s oil exports. Well-oiled logistical arrangements and payment mechanisms are already in place between the Chinese buyers and the Iranian sellers. So for Indian refiners to lift Iranian oil cargoes, they would most likely have to compete with their Chinese counterparts, and perhaps even other interested buyers.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Indian refiners in touch with Iran as it pitches its oil to buyers

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

1) Consider the following activities: (UPSC CSE, 2025)

I. Production of crude oil

II. Refining, storage, and distribution of petroleum

III. Marketing and sale of petroleum products

IV. Production of natural gas

How many of the above activities are regulated by the Petroleum and Natural Gas Regulatory Board (PNGRB) in India?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

2) The term ‘West Texas Intermediate’, sometimes found in news, refers to a grade of (UPSC CSE, 2020)

(a) Crude oil

(b) Bullion

(c) Rare earth elements

(d) Uranium

Does dialling 112 helps in all emergencies? depends on state you live in

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Main Examination: General Studies III: Challenges to internal security through communication networks and Disaster and disaster management.

What’s the ongoing story: Which helpline do you dial? This is often the first problem Indians face after an emergency. To integrate India’s fragmented emergency helplines, the government launched the universal code 112. Here’s why it chose that number.

Key Points to Ponder:

• Why 112 is India’s common emergency number?

• What is the Emergency Response Support System (ERSS)?

• Why India decided to get a common helpline number?

• How would a 112 code help?

• What is the significance of India’s adoption of 112 as a universal emergency number in improving public service

delivery?

• What is the role of integrated emergency response systems in strengthening internal security and disaster preparedness?

• What are the challenges in implementing ERSS across India’s states and Union Territories?

Key Takeaways:

• To address this issue, the Union government launched the Nationwide Emergency Response System (NERS) number 112 in 2019 — just like the US’s 911. It was intended to subsume all emergency numbers — such as 100 (police), 101 (fire), 102 (emergency medical services), 108 (ambulance), 1033 (highway), 181 (women), 1098 (child) and 1091 (woman in distress) — into one common code.

• But even after seven years of 112’s launch, The Indian Express has found from Supreme Court submissions that only five states and Union Territories — Delhi, Kerala, Gujarat, Haryana and Lakshadweep — have integrated all emergency helpline numbers into the 112 NERS.

• Uttar Pradesh is close to achieving full integration, with only 102 (emergency medical services) left to be included.

• On May 26, the Supreme Court gave all states and Union Territories three months to complete the technical and operational integration of all emergency numbers into the 112 helpline.

Do You Know:

• It’s not just India that has adopted this code. The 112 helpline number is also used by European member states and many other countries. It was the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) that first recommended 112 as a common emergency number, way back in 1976. And it did so for two practical reasons.

• “First, telephones at that time had rotary dials, and dialing ‘112’ took the least amount of time. Second, dialing the number ‘3’ would lock the dial, so even if the phone was locked, ‘112’ could still be dialed,” says a 2019 report by the Uttar Pradesh government.

The CEPT also chose different digits rather than repeated digits like 111 or 999 to prevent accidental dialing. In modern-day touchscreens, too, the numbers 112 are easier to dial rather than, say, 108 or 102.

• In India, the decision to launch 112 ERSS system was taken on the basis of recommendation made by an expert committee on 2012 Delhi bus gangrape case. The Justice J S Verma committee — which also included former High Court Justice Leila Seth and former Solicitor General of India Gopal Subramanium — recommended setting up a public emergency response system that would have the ability to dispatch an emergency response unit to respond to and close emergency calls.

• Following this, the Department of Telecommunications allotted the emergency number 112 and the Ministry of Home Affairs formally launched it across India on February 19, 2019 through the Nirbhaya fund to provide a one-stop solution to all kinds of emergencies. In their responses to the Supreme Court, 16 states said they have partially integrated multiple helplines into the common code. Ten states had not carried out any integration. Three states’ responses were not available.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍Saving lives on road: Supreme Court told states to put in five key measures; none has all of them

Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:

3) In India, the term “Public Key Infrastructure” is used in the context of : (UPSC CSE, 2020)

(a) Digital security infrastructure

(b) Food security infrastructure

(c) Health care and education infrastructure

(d) Telecommunication and transportation infrastructure

Why India’s buildings are vulnerable to fire, and what’s needed to fix them

Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.

Mains Examination: General Studies III: Disaster and disaster management

What’s the ongoing story: India has seen a number of fires in commercial and residential buildings in recent times. The fire at a Delhi bed & breakfast on June 3 killed 23 people. Just weeks later, on June 23, a blaze in a Lucknow commercial complex killed 15 people.

Key Points to Ponder:

• What type of fire considerations does one need to make for a mixed-use building?

• How does compartmentation in design help prevent fire?

• What are the other safety measures that should be in place at time of occupation?

• What are the points of weakness in high-density areas?

• Facts and Data’s given on Fire Safety in India by Ministry of Home Affairs, National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) and India Risk Surveys-Know the facts

• Fire Services is a State subject or Concurrent Subject or Union Subject?

• What is the key to fire safety?

• National Building Code (NBC) of India, 2016 and Fire and Life Safety-Know the provisions

• Ministry of Urban Development, Model Building by Laws 2016 and Fire Safety-Connect the dot

• What National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) says on Fire and Fire Safety?

• Supreme Court of India’s Guidelines on Fire Safety-Know in Detail

• Why are fire accidents emerging as a major urban governance challenge in India?

Key Takeaways:

• Meanwhile, according to a report by The Indian Express, 450 commercial buildings in Delhi have been red-flagged for not having the mandatory fire No-Objection Certificates or for violating building by-laws.

• These incidents have brought into focus the numerous fire safety gaps in India’s urban areas — including the absence of a culture of fire preparedness and the lack of institutional support in responding to an incident.

• So what are the safety measures that are needed in buildings? Professor Virendra Kumar Paul, Director of the School of Planning and Architecture in New Delhi, speaks to Shiny Varghese about how most building facades in India are magnets for disaster and why second staircases matter.

Do You Know:

• In principle, fire safety measures must address the highest risk. Fire escape routes become the most important preventive measure. Keeping them free of any combustible material on wall panelling and storage along the corridors, non-combustible false ceilings, ensuring ventilation so that smoke does not enter escape corridors are critical basics.

In no case, smoke from escape corridors should enter stairwells, prevented by fire doors.

• Instead of one big area, compartmentation with fire and smoke check measures reduce vulnerabilities. Situations become time-critical if the clear height between the false ceiling and the floor is less, in which case smoke will fill the entire space rather fast. Of course, installation of sprinklers is one of the most effective measures subject to proper installation and design.

• In the Lucknow and Malviya Nagar fires, the building facades appear to have aggravated the fire multifold, leaving firefighting operations rather ineffective. Installation of multiple AC outdoor units, display boards, hoardings that use highly inflammable materials practically cover the entire facade. If fire-fighting access is mainly from one side, it is a cause for concern.

• Building envelope involvement happens in two distinct ways. Flames leaping out of windows lead to fire breach through the external face of windows on upper floors. This leads to exponential spread of fire, typically jumping alternate floors which is very difficult to chase.

• Access to firefighters is usually the weakest link. Fire vehicles find it hugely challenging to manoeuvre their way around so they can arrive in time before the fire has matured to the “flash over” — where flames spread beyond the site of fire.

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

📍In India, fire safety remains elusive. Why – and how to fix this?

Previous year UPSC Main Question Covering similar theme:

📍Discuss the recent measures initiated in disaster management by the Government of India departing from the earlier reactive approach. (UPSC, GS3, 2020)

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1.(b)  2.(a)  3.(a)

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