Experts moot rules to arrest short-circuit fires

MUMBAI: Worried about devastating fires due to short-circuits, power sector experts have proposed to PM Narendra Modi and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis rules for using miniature circuit-breakers (MC-Bs) for electrical gadgets so that they quickly arrest supply of current to short-circuit-hit or overheated wire areas and do not allow fires to spread.

Around 90% fires in Mumbai region, including the one of Sunday at the RTO office, are due to short-circuits. Thousands have lost lives in short-circuit fires in Mumbai in 20 years. MCB interrupts the electrical flow through the circuit whenever a fault is detected.

Expert KKK Nair said electricians, builders and consumers have to install MCB based on the gadgets used. Installing disproportionate MCBs for gadgets can result in short-circuits getting additional current to escalate fires. Chittaranjan Tembhekar