Newstrack

Savera Hotel incident raises questions on safety

Sangeetha Neeraja - Chennai

The caving in of the dance floor at Chennai's Savera Hotel on new year eve that left three people dead has raised questions about the safety measures the hotel undertook. The dance floor that was set up over the swimming pool was supporting approximately 200 people at the time of crashing.

According to an eyewitness, no trained personnel were made available by the four-star hotel to rescue the victims from the pool even after 30 minutes of the crash. Reportedly, all four and five-star properties in the city have a separate safety and security department headed by a loss prevention manager. However, Savera only has one assistant security officer while the safety and security portfolio is managed by the HR department. Though no statutory guidelines for the industry specifically mentions it, it is left to the discretion of the management to decide on these things.

According to a senior official with the fire service department, the hotel had not followed procedures of applying for the mandatory NOC and Stability Certificate from the Fire & Rescue Services Department and the Public Works Department to host the party. When asked to comment on the incident, SIHRA refused to comment. Those present at the party reportedly paid Rs 3,000 to get entry into Savera.