NAGPUR: Showing alarming disregard towards safety, around 20.68% of high-rise buildings within corporation limits have been constructed without obtaining mandatory no-objection certificates from the NMC’s fire and emergency services department.
Data from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) reveals that out of 7,054 buildings, having a height of over 15m height, 1,459 lack the mandatory no-objection certificates (NOC) from the fire department.
“Builders and also occupants of these buildings didn’t approach the department even for provisional NOCs,” BP Chandankhede, acting chief fire officer, informed TOI.
Of the 7,054 high-rise structures within city limits only 903 buildings have implemented the required firefighting measures. The data came to the fore following inspections by fire personnel from nine fire stations across the city.
The fire department has now requested Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) and the town planning department for a list of buildings approved between 2020 and 2023. The step was taken after the release of a govt circular regarding action against non-compliant buildings over 15m height.
In May 2023, the government reinstated fire safety regulations for buildings taller than 15m, overriding the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) that had been in effect since December 2020.
The DCPR had raised the height requirement for a fire NOC from 15m to 24m. However, the recent amendments to the Maharashtra Fire Prevention & Life Safety Measures (MFPLSM) Act, 2006, now mandate firefighting arrangements for all buildings above 15m in height.
Chandankhede said that buildings having heights between 15m and 24m could receive fire department permission if they comply with the specified fire prevention and life protection measures. While the previous regulations relaxed the norms for buildings up to 24m, requiring a fire department’s NOC only for lifts, the updated act has tightened the rules.
Since the implementation of the DCPR, around 100 under-construction buildings have received fire NOCs. The fire department is now urging all developers and builders to ensure their buildings are equipped with mandatory firefighting arrangements. The department plans to inspect all new buildings, whether under-construction or completed, sanctioned between December 2020 and May 2023.
Chandankhede said that builders and occupants of high-rise structures must submit an application with the sanctioned plan to the fire department. They will then receive a provisional certificate outlining the necessary firefighting measures based on the building’s usage. A timeframe will be provided for compliance of the firefighting norms for all buildings constructed between December 2020 and May 2023.
The acting CFO emphasized that no exemptions regarding firefighting measures would be made for buildings over 15m in height. This initiative is part of the NMC’s efforts to enhance fire safety and prevent any potential fire-related disasters.
