In a shocking revelation, it has been found that none of the mobile towers operational in the city have obtained NOCs from the fire department.
When it comes to responsible action, government departments can fall woefully short. And here's a classic example: Social activist Harinder Dhingra had filed an RTI seeking details of fire-safety measures adopted by mobile towers operational in the city. And disturbingly, none have procured No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the fire department.
The fire department comes under MCG.
In response to Dhingra’s RTI filing, the fire department stated: “No fire NOC has been issued to any mobile tower by this department till date.”
“I have been actively working on the issue through RTIs since 2012. However, authorities have failed to act. It is imperative that they act before a major incident takes place,” Dhingra said.
According to details from fire department officials, mobile towers were responsible for major fire incidents in 2009 and 2010.
So why are the towers still operating? “We cannot act upon the absence of fire clearance, as the ruling states that NOC is mandatory only for structures having ‘occupancy’,” conceded an official.
“According to Haryana Fire Service Act, all buildings above 15 m need to obtain an NOC. Structures with no occupancy are absolved from this purview. Owing to this clause, no action can be taken,” fire safety officer IS Kashyap explained.
He added that fire department is working towards revising the guidelines under the act. But, in the interim, the responsibility of procuring the NOC lies with the owner of a building or structure.
