Major govt buildings in Gurugram asked to be fire-proof, obtain NOC by Nov 30

The Gurugram fire department has set November 30 as the deadline for major government buildings, such as the Sector 10 Civil Hospital, Mini Secretariat, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) office, the police traffic tower, and the district jail to comply with the fire norms and obtain a no-objection certificate (NOC), said officials on Tuesday.

The fire department comes under the ambit of the municipal corporation in Gurugram.

Gulshan Kalra, deputy director (technical) of Haryana Fire and Emergency Services, who also heads the Gurugram fire department, last week issued notices to all government agencies concerned, informing them about the deadline to apply for the NOC. “Letters have been issued to all government agencies concerned to upgrade the fire-fighting apparatus in their respective buildings, and adhere to fire safety norms as listed in the Haryana Fire Safety Act, 2022. Three months is ample time for officials to undertake the necessary measures. We will also be assisting them in this venture,” said Kalra.

According to the fire safety act, buildings should have a wide entrance, wide staircases, multiple exits, encroachment-free entry and exit points and trained staff to control fires. Apart from this, the buildings should also be equipped with water sprinklers,smoke detectors, fire extinguishers, fire alarms, sand buckets and water hydrants.

Kalra further said that the fire department has appointed nodal officers for major government agencies to assist them in finding the loopholes in the fire safety measures, apprise them about the possible rectifications and upgrades needed, and in the last stage, issue an NOC after site inspection. After amendments in the fire safety act, a government building has to have an NOC from the fire department, which will be valid for three years. Earlier, an NOC was valid for a year from the date of issuance.

Kalra added that the November 30 deadline is applicable only for government buildings which witness a high footfall. For buildings with low footfall, such as the buildings of Haryana State Agricultural Marketing Board, tehsil, and sub-tehsil offices, they have to upgrade their fire-fighting apparatus and obtain an NOC by October 31.

Adherence to fire safety norms has been a major issue with government buildings in the city. Both the Mini Secretariat and the Sector 10 Civil Hospital have been operating without a fire NOC ever since their inception in 2004 and 2012, respectively.

According to fire department officials, the traffic tower of Gurugram traffic police in Sushant Lok 1 also does not have a valid NOC. Even the MCG, which issues notices for NOC violations, operated without a fire NOC for more than 30 months between October 2016 and May 2018.

“Fire safety is a serious issue. The absence of fire safety measures not only puts the lives of government officials at risk but also of those who visit such offices. Directions will be issued to all government agencies concerned to equip their buildings with the requisite fire-fighting apparatus, and obtain an NOC as per the deadline,” deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav said on Tuesday.

“We have received the notice from the fire department… Our officials will take their assistance for upgrading the fire equipment, if it is required,” said a senior MCG official privy to the matter, who asked not to be named.