Nearly 20% decline in commercial properties with fire safety certificates in city

Since 2019, there were 4,000 active no-objections in the city, which have declined to 3,271 by May 2023, as per the official data

: In a city with over 1 lakh commercial establishments, the number of property owners who have a fire safety no-objection certificate (NOC) has seen a nearly 20% dip since 2019.

Nearly 20% decline in commercial properties with fire safety certificates in city

Since 2019, there were 4,000 active no-objections in the city, which have declined to 3,271 by May 2023, as per the official data.

It includes the commercial establishments who have not renewed their certificates and those who have not applied for fresh ones.

The major reason behind the fall in the number of active NOCs is the failure on the part of residents to renew their NOCs within the stipulated period, as per the fire brigade department.

According to the last survey of properties existing in the city, the civic body had identified around 4.3 lakh properties in the city, out of which around 1 lakh are commercial, including industrial units, schools, hospitals, restaurants, hotels, and coaching centres.

Fire brigade officials receive over 1,000 applications each year. In May, the department received as many as 98 applications, out of which 10 were rejected due to objections.

A fire brigade officer requesting anonymity said lack of adequate staff to conduct routine inspections in the state’s most industrialised city hampers their operations and affects the pace.

The process to get an NOC from the fire department was made online in 2019. After applying an NOC on the fire department’s portal, officials conduct a physical inspection of the buildings to check whether the building plan fulfills the fire safety norms and adequate equipment, including extinguishers and water supply has been installed.

Fire brigade officials also check whether proper emergency exits are available in the building especially in schools and hospitals if a fire breaks out. A fire brigade official said the schools are not allowed to teach junior classes in the basement and it is made sure that accessible exit points are available for the patients at the time of an emergency in hospitals.

The industry owners who apply for the NOCs include those who are associated with international brands or require NOCs for other formalities, including insurance, said a fire brigade officer.

When asked about the dip in NOC-holder property owners in the city, municipal corporation commissioner Shena Aggarwal said that the civic body is putting all its awareness among the public to follow the norms and obtain the certificates.

She said that the frequency of the random inspections will be increased to encourage the residents to get NOCs.

Industrial hub sitting on a tinder box

The city sees recurrent incidents of fire throughout the year, especially during the summer when the temperature goes high.

On June 7, a massive fire broke out at Shree Tools in Phase-4 of the Focal Point, reducing raw materials, machinery, and finished products worth lakhs to ash.

On June 5, a massive blaze engulfed a printing unit in Nichi Mangli village on Chandigarh Road.

Public notice, inspections fail to bring desired output

Despite issuing a public notice in March last year appealing residents to avail fire NOCs within a month, the municipal corporation’s drives have failed to change the trend.

In March this year, the MC started random inspections at coaching centres and commercial establishments in various parts of the city.