Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], June 23 : Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday directed officials to conduct a comprehensive fire safety audit of all hospitals, coaching centres, malls, hotels, commercial establishments and other public-use buildings across the state.
Chairing a high-level review meeting at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister said public safety remains one of the government's top priorities and warned that any negligence in complying with fire safety norms will not be tolerated.
He instructed officials to immediately identify institutions where fire safety arrangements fall short of prescribed standards and ensure prompt corrective action is taken. Dhami also emphasised the need to closely assess the functionality of firefighting equipment, availability of emergency exit routes, electrical safety systems and preparedness for swift evacuation during emergencies.
The Chief Minister further directed coordinated action among the Fire Services Department, district administrations and other concerned departments to complete the audit process in a time-bound manner.
Meanwhile, in response to the tragedy, the Prime Minister announced ex-gratia assistance from the PMNRF.
In a post on X, the Prime Minister's Office said an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each would be given to the next of kin of those who lost their lives, while Rs 50,000 would be provided to the injured.
"Anguished by the loss of lives in a fire mishap in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. My condolences to the bereaved families. May the injured recover at the earliest. Rescue operations are underway, and authorities are providing all possible assistance. An ex-gratia of Rs. 2 lakh from PMNRF would be given to the next of kin of each deceased. The injured would be given Rs. 50,000," the PMO said.