Forget coaching centres, even Govt buildings ill equipped to fight fire

| | Ranchi
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Forget coaching centres, even Govt buildings ill equipped to fight fire

Sunday, 26 May 2019 | Saurav Roy | Ranchi

Forget coaching institutes, even government buildings in Jharkhand are yet to get No Objection Certificates (NOC) from the fire services department, officials said on Saturday, raising concern over the safety of students and working professionals in the light of the fire breakout in Surat, which killed over 20 students of a private coaching institute on Friday.

NOC from the fire safety department is given to buildings that are equipped to fight fire. As per the rules, any building that wants an NOC will have to apply for it at the department. However, the department issues NOC only if the said building meets all the parameters set by the department to declare any building equipped for fire fighting.

Additional State Fire Officer Sudhir Verma said that none of the coaching institutes in Jharkhand have got an NOC from the department, which raises major concern over the safety of students in case of a fire breakout. While government buildings are still working on the initiatives to be taken for being eligible for the NOC, none of them have cleared the norms yet, he added.

“There are set parameters that the buildings will have to fulfill in order to get an NOC from us. It is a major concern that none of the government buildings or even coaching institutes has an NOC in the State,” Verma said.

In order to get an NOC from the department, a G+1 building should at least have fire extinguishers, whereas G+2 buildings should have pipeline for fire fighting and an underground tank. In order to get an NOC, a G+2 building should have two staircases, one for exit and the other for entry, said Verma.

Verma said that even Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has made it mandatory for all its affiliated schools to get an NOC from the concerned fire services department.

Private coaching institutes, particularly the ones providing coaching for engineering and medical entrance examinations, have mushroomed in the State Capital. A majority of these institutes function from rented accommodations in shopping complexes and business centres. These institutes usually have the same door for entry and exit, and are cramped for space.

The Jharkhand Parents Association (JPA), an independent body that addresses the concerns of parents and fights for safety and wellbeing of students, on Saturday said that in 2014 the Supreme Court had directed all state governments to prohibit running of coaching institutes in residential areas. However, no actions were taken against coaching institutes that ran unabated in Jharkhand’s residential areas.

“It is worth mentioning here that the coaching institute in Surat did not have a proper fire fighting machinery. Had the government been proactive there and ensured proper fire fighting measures in the concerned institute, the students may have survived the incident,” said Ajay Rai, president of JPA.

Rai added that the government of Jharkhand must not only abide by the directive of the apex court but also shut down coaching institutes that do not have a fire fighting machinery.

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