From Monday onwards, if your residential society drags its feet on procuring a fire NOC or a fire safety certificate, you are at risk of losing your drainage, electricity, or municipal water supply connection.
After almost a decade, following constant battering from the high court over failing to enforce the fire NOC law for highrises, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is compelled to take drastic measures like suspending civic connections to apartments and commercial buildings. A press release regarding the same was issued by the Ahmedabad Fire Safety and Emergency Services (AFES) on Sunday.
AMC has already drawn up a list of 247 residential highrises that had been slapped with notices, but still do not have fire NOCs.
“We will begin with cutting off the electricity supply and water connections of defaulting highrises. This way, societies will not be able to operate their borewells. In the second stage, even the drainage connections will be cut,” says a senior AMC official.
Not only residential societies and commercial buildings, but also several government-owned buildings do not have fire NOCs. The process for procuring fire NOCs should be simplified for citizens. AMC should maintain a list of office-bearers of residential societies and commercial buildings to whom automated timely reminders for fire NOCs can be sent. Societies should be made aware of certified agencies that conduct safety audit services in buildings. The civic complaints helpline should also record and process citizens’ requests for carrying out fire audits.TimesViewLast month, the AMC had lodged 26 FIRs against commercial buildings that had not even applied for fire safety certification in the city.
“We plan to begin our inspection this week. The provisions of Gujarat Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures (Amendment) Act, 2021 will be invoked against the violators,” added the AMC official.
The law stipulates that either the owner or the occupant of the property is required to procure the fire safety NOC or certification.
