DTCP eases fire safety NOC norms for four-storey buildings in Gurugram

GURUGRAM: Giving relief to plot owners, the department of town and country planning (DTCP) has eased fire safety no-objection certificate (NOC) norms for residential buildings with four floors. Now, owners of such buildings that reach up to a height of 16.5 metres are no longer required to get an NOC from the fire department.

According to the recent amendment in the Haryana Building Code, “Any residential building of more than 16.5 m in height, before the commencement of the construction, shall apply for the approval of Fire Fighting Scheme conforming to National Building Code of India, the Disaster Management Act, 2005 (Central Act 53 of 2005), the Factories Act, 1948 (Central Act 63 of 1948) and the Punjab Factory Rules, 1952, and issuance of no objection certificate.”

Earlier, residential buildings with a height of up to 15m were not required to have a fire safety NOC. But last year, after the state government allowed construction of fourth floor in licensed colonies, HSVP sectors and MCG areas, the average height of the buildings increased to around 16.5m. As a result, fire NOCs became mandatory for them.

“Keeping in view the construction of a fourth floor, the state government had increased the permissible height of residential buildings to 16.5m, but it was subject to an NOC from the fire safety department and certificate of conformity to rules and structural safety, which needed to be certified by a qualified professional,” said district town planner RS Batth.

If owners failed to get fire NOCs despite having four floors, DTCP, Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) and other government agencies could take action against them.

“The procurement of a fire NOC became a time-taking and complicated process for property owners, and they approached the DTCP director to increase the height limit. The relaxation has brought much-needed relief,” said Ramesh Singla, president of Gurgaon Home Developers and Plot Owners Association.

After owners met DTCP chief KM Pandurang over the matter, he wrote to the director of urban local bodies department (fire services) to make an amendment in the building norms.

In June this year, the state government made another amendment to the building norms — eight car parking slots were made mandatory for buildings with four floors on a plot size of 500 sqm or more, which meant two parking slots for each floor. In case the buildings were constructed on plots ranging from 250 sqm to 500 sqm, six parking slots were made mandatory.