‘Numaish’ would not be permitted unless all government departments concerned present safety arrangements and inspection reports, Telangana High Court said on Monday.
Posting the hearing of a PIL plea on Numaish (the annual All India Industrial Exhibition) to Tuesday, the HC instructed the Hyderabad Police Commissioner to furnish a detailed report including the inspection reports presented by all other government wings concerned. A bench of Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy instructed the Commissioner to clearly explain if encroachments surrounding the exhibition grounds were removed to ensure smooth passage for visitors in case of an emergency.
The bench observed that the Police Commissioner was bound to disclose what safety arrangements were being put in place by each department concerned. The Special Government Pleader Sharath Kumar told the bench that it would be a Herculean task to remove all the illegal encroachments around the exhibition as they were there for past 40 years.
Then the Exhibition Society should think of postponing the exhibition, the bench remarked. “Kolkata and Delhi witnessed major fire accidents resulting in loss of several lives. Do you want us to witness similar incidents here and who will be held responsible for such accidents,” the bench said. The bench instructed the Commissioner to place before it the undertaking given by the Exhibition Society assuring to comply with all safety measures and the details of areas earmarked for parking of vehicles, stalls and emergency exit passages.
The bench sought to know from the SGP as to how the Exhibition Society can use the parking space of other buildings in the vicinity of the venue without securing any ‘consent letter’ from the respective building owners. The SGP presented to the bench that Exhibition Society undertook several precautions, submitting some photographs as proof.
The bench, however, noted that same steps were taken the previous year also but a massive fire accident was reported. “Safety of people cannot be overlooked or ignored by Exhibition Society or any other government department,” the bench remarked.
