LUCKNOW, July 8 -- The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) is planning to launch a comprehensive fire safety audit of all its schemes across the city, including decades-old schemes, commercial establishments and residential buildings. The exercise will mirror the authority's earlier structural safety audit but will specifically assess fire hazards, electrical safety and emergency preparedness in properties. The LDA is preparing the plan, which will involve a private agency to conduct the audit; RFP and proper norms for this are also being prepared. The plan will be presented in the state government for approval. The proposed audit comes amid growing concerns over fire incidents in Lucknow and the increasing electrical load on buildings constructed decades ago. Officials believe many older properties operate with outdated electrical infrastructure that may no longer safely handle present-day power consumption. This plan of LDA would constitute a panel of fire safety experts, electrical safety engineers and technical specialists to carry out the inspections. The audit will examine electrical wiring, power overloading, fire entry and exit routes, emergency access, firefighting arrangements and other critical safety parameters before assigning a risk rating to each property. Every inspected building will receive a risk assessment soon after the audit, and the authority plans to place a safety sticker outside the premises indicating the level of fire risk. Property owners will also be issued an advisory detailing the shortcomings identified during the inspection and the safety measures required to reduce the risk of fire. The first phase of the drive will begin in LDA-developed decades-old colonies and will prioritise high-risk establishments such as coaching institutes, gyms, libraries, nursing homes and hospitals, where large numbers of people gather daily. The authority plans to expand the exercise to all LDA residential schemes in subsequent phases. The second phase of the survey will include shopping complexes and other commercial properties like malls. Officials said the financial model for the audit is still under discussion. The authority is yet to decide whether the cost will be borne by property owners or funded through another mechanism. LDA vice chairman Prathamesh Kumar said the audit has become necessary because many LDA colonies, including Gomti Nagar, were developed decades ago when residential buildings were designed for a much lower electrical load....