Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar has expressed concern over the lack of safety measures in place in fuel outlets in islands, insisting that the government would look rectify the hazardous situation before the end of the year.
At the meeting held to discuss the fire safety regulation drafted by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) at the Coast Guard building on Tuesday, the Minister said that some buildings in Atolls used for fuel trade do not meet the safety requirements conditions set by the government, warning that both the businesses and the islands would face irrecoverable damages should a fire break out.
The Minister assured that all of the issues regarding the safety of such places would be resolved before the end of the year.
"Even though most people live in Male, this government will take care of people in all corners of the country regardless of population. We prioritize the issues in Atolls as well. We are in discussions regarding taking proper precautions against fires, and have already launched efforts to combat the problem," minister explained.
Shareef also pointed out that some vehicles used by the public lack fire safety, which he said would be addressed before the end of this year.
MNDF had recently carried out a large scale operation to check cafe's, restaurants and warehouses for proper fire safety requirements.
An overwhelmingly large percentage of places checked were inadequately prepared for a fire.
