Sources in the fire department said that their recommendations to rectify certain shortcomings had been overlooked. Confirming this, Additional Divisional Fire officer B S Sidhu said that Amit Gupta, the organiser of the pandal, has not been issued the requisite No Objection Certificate (NOC) on account of these shortcomings.

He added that the department had made these recommendations when Gupta had applied for the NOC, but till date he had not acknowledged the communication. Though Sidhu was reluctant to disclose the shortcomings, others in the fire department said Gupta has not engaged a diploma holder in electricals to monitor the arrangements. Besides, fire-proof paint has not been applied on the wooden panels used to build the pandal. Apart from this, the organisers are allegedly using low capacity fire extinguishersinside the pandal, which has capacity of 60,000 persons. The thermocol fittings and the carpet are exposed to loose electrical wires, which might prove disastrous if there is a short circuit.

Although five fire officers and seven fire tenders are stationed near the pandal, sources said that barricading the enclosures was unnecessary. Except the VVIP gallery, barricading could have been avoided near the visitors' enclosures. "This is most important to avert a stampede," another senior fire officer said.

Since the pandal is waterproof, the fire officers feel that it would be difficult to extinguish the flames.