Of 310 pvt schools in Sirsa district, only 71 have fire NOCs

Anil Kakkar

Sirsa, May 20

Fire can cause death and damage to property due to the slightest negligence, yet fire safety is often neglected. Except for a few private schools in the city, most of the schools do not possess a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC). Moreover, they do not have adequate fire safety measures.

This negligence on the part of the school managements poses a direct risk to the lives of students. Even after continuous issuance of notices by the Fire Department, school managements are not ready to obtain the NOC. Most schools are being run in violation of regulations.

Rakesh Yadav, Fire Officer, Sirsa, stated it is mandatory for school owners to obtain a fire NOC before constructing a building. There are 239 schools in the district without a fire NOC. “Private school owners have spent crores of rupees in constructing large buildings, but they show no interest in installing fire-fighting systems. Only 71 schools have obtained fire NOCs, while 15 schools applied for these in April,” said Yadav.

School managements are still not taking the fire NOC issue seriously. Consequently, the Fire Department has now decided to inspect private schools. Notices will be issued to schools lacking fire extinguishing systems, and they may be sealed if they do not possess the NOC.

There is always a risk of fire in schools for various reasons. Mishaps can occur during experiments in science laboratories due to short circuits, or other causes. Obtaining an NOC from the Fire Department is crucial to ensure the safety of children. However, school owners are not obtaining the NOC, thereby jeopardising children’s safety.

Moreover, there are more than 200 coaching centres operating in the city and nearby towns. Thousands of children attend these centres daily, but none of them have a fire NOC. Many coaching centres and schools operate in narrow, densely-populated areas where the fire brigade vehicles cannot reach. Many coaching centres and educational institutions are running without approved building plans, yet no administrative officer is taking any action against them.