Day after PGI blaze: Chandigarh MC orders fresh safety audit of high-rise buildings
A day after a major fire broke out at the Nehru Hospital block of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) has announced a fresh audit of high-rise buildings in the city. All government and private institutional buildings will be checked for fire safety compliance, as per the National Building Code (NBC), 2016, of the Government of India. As per the building code, it is mandatory for buildings, above the height of 15 metres, to have a fire safety certificate (FSC) from the civic body. As per the MC’s earlier estimate, there are over 320 high-rise buildings in Chandigarh, including the police headquarters of Chandigarh and Punjab, UT secretariat, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), MC office, estate office, intelligence bureau, hotels like JW Marriot and Taj, Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, district courts, and Elante Mall. The code also makes fire safety certificates mandatory for residential buildings where more than 20 people stay. In low-occupancy categories, the buildings that need FSC include assembly, institutional, educational (more than two storeyed and built-up area exceeds 1,000 sq m); business (where plot area exceeds 500 sq m), mercantile (where aggregate covered area exceeds 750 sq m), as well as hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, underground complexes, industrial storages, meeting/banquet halls and hazardous occupancies. To obtain the NOC, fire extinguishers on all floors, automated sprinkler system, escape routes sans obstruction, natural ventilation and lighting, furniture with flame-resistant material, is mandatory. Besides, dumping of any sort of waste material or volatile or flammable liquids is prohibited. MC commissioner Anindita Mitra, said, “The civic body had been sending regular notices to government and private buildings in the city, to comply with the fire safety norms and get the fire safety certificate (or no-objection certificate). Despite repeated reminders, people give the go-by to fire safety arrangements in buildings, which ultimately risks people’s lives.” “A fresh audit will be carried out by the MC soon to check discrepancies and violations in government and private buildings, especially high-rise buildings,” said Mitra, adding that since most of the high-rise buildings in Chandigarh are government buildings, it becomes difficult for the civic body to seal them. “A fine of ₹50,000 will be levied on the defaulters where buildings will be found operational without FSC,” Mitra said. Major hospitals, educational institutes do not have FSCs As per civic body officials, major government and private hospitals, nursing homes and educational institutions (including schools and colleges) do not have fire safety certificates, at present, thus risking lives of many. At present, around 22 hospitals and nursing homes as well as 98 educational institutes are in the list of defaulters. As per sources, buildings of PGIMER, Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Sector 32, Panjab University, Punjab Engineering College (PEC) hostels figure in the list of defaulters. MC served 5,400 notices/advisories this year MC had started a fire-safety audit in the city in March this year and had checked violations in various buildings, irrespective of heights. As many as 5,400 notices and advisories were issued to building owners to get the fire safety certificate and comply with safety norms.
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A day after a major fire broke out at the Nehru Hospital block of the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the Chandigarh municipal corporation (MC) has announced a fresh audit of high-rise buildings in the city. All government and private institutional buildings will be checked for fire safety compliance, as per the National Building Code (NBC), 2016, of the Government of India.
As per the building code, it is mandatory for buildings, above the height of 15 metres, to have a fire safety certificate (FSC) from the civic body. As per the MC’s earlier estimate, there are over 320 high-rise buildings in Chandigarh, including the police headquarters of Chandigarh and Punjab, UT secretariat, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), MC office, estate office, intelligence bureau, hotels like JW Marriot and Taj, Government Medical College and Hospital in Sector 32, district courts, and Elante Mall.
The code also makes fire safety certificates mandatory for residential buildings where more than 20 people stay.
In low-occupancy categories, the buildings that need FSC include assembly, institutional, educational (more than two storeyed and built-up area exceeds 1,000 sq m); business (where plot area exceeds 500 sq m), mercantile (where aggregate covered area exceeds 750 sq m), as well as hotels, hospitals, nursing homes, underground complexes, industrial storages, meeting/banquet halls and hazardous occupancies.
To obtain the NOC, fire extinguishers on all floors, automated sprinkler system, escape routes sans obstruction, natural ventilation and lighting, furniture with flame-resistant material, is mandatory. Besides, dumping of any sort of waste material or volatile or flammable liquids is prohibited.
MC commissioner Anindita Mitra, said, “The civic body had been sending regular notices to government and private buildings in the city, to comply with the fire safety norms and get the fire safety certificate (or no-objection certificate). Despite repeated reminders, people give the go-by to fire safety arrangements in buildings, which ultimately risks people’s lives.”
“A fresh audit will be carried out by the MC soon to check discrepancies and violations in government and private buildings, especially high-rise buildings,” said Mitra, adding that since most of the high-rise buildings in Chandigarh are government buildings, it becomes difficult for the civic body to seal them.
“A fine of ₹50,000 will be levied on the defaulters where buildings will be found operational without FSC,” Mitra said.
Major hospitals, educational institutes do not have FSCs
As per civic body officials, major government and private hospitals, nursing homes and educational institutions (including schools and colleges) do not have fire safety certificates, at present, thus risking lives of many. At present, around 22 hospitals and nursing homes as well as 98 educational institutes are in the list of defaulters.
As per sources, buildings of PGIMER, Government Multi Specialty Hospital (GMSH), Sector 16, Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) Sector 32, Panjab University, Punjab Engineering College (PEC) hostels figure in the list of defaulters.
MC served 5,400 notices/advisories this year
MC had started a fire-safety audit in the city in March this year and had checked violations in various buildings, irrespective of heights. As many as 5,400 notices and advisories were issued to building owners to get the fire safety certificate and comply with safety norms.
