Over 750 fire-safety NOCs stuck amid rising coronavirus cases in Delhi

The Delhi Fire Services has received over 750 applications for issuance of NOC since lockdown began, but has not been able to conduct inspections amid the rising number of infections

The Delhi Fire Services has received over 750 applications for issuance of no objection certificates since the coronavirus lockdown began, but has not been able to conduct inspections amid the rising number of infections, officials said on Monday.

Fire-safety no objection certificates (NOCs) are presently only being issued on an emergency basis during the lockdown for government establishments and hospitals after following the protocol, officials said.

Officials said since the nationwide lockdown, they had received applications for NOCs from various establishments, including industries, restaurants, guest houses, hotels and schools.

The maximum applications were received from guest houses and restaurants, a majority of which are still closed due to the restrictions imposed in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.

Activities like the issuance of NOCs, training sessions, public awareness campaigns and fire-safety inspections will likely remain suspended for a while amid the rising novel coronavirus cases, the officials said.

The Delhi Fire Services has received over 750 applications from various outlets from March 21 to June 30 for issuance of NOCs, officials said.

According to data shared by the fire department, the north zone received 148 applications, the south zone got 328, the west zone got 225 applications for NOCs from various outlets till June 30.

Forty-nine applications have also been received from June 15-30 on the department's digital portal.

The fire safety certificates are valid for three years and the establishment concerned should apply for renewal of certificate six months prior to the date of expiry.

During the nationwide lockdown from March 25, the department said it had also suspended all its activities and only carried out firefighting operations.

The Delhi Fire Services played an effective role in carrying out sanitisation work in containment zones like the Nizamuddin, Markaz, Bhogal, Jangpura and Okhla Mandi among other areas, according to officials.

Delhi Fire Services Director Atul Garg said they had received over 750 applications for issuance of NOCs since the lockdown began, but were unable to carry out inspection as all establishments were closed during the phase and safety was also a concern.

"Many of them who applied for NOCs were in the hope that the lockdown would be lifted soon, but it kept getting extended," Garg said. "Even now, requests are pouring in, but although lockdown has been lifted, majority of these establishments are still closed."

He pointed out that several industries had still not started their operations, schools were closed, many restaurants and guest houses were not functional yet. The department will have to wait for the situation to normalise to conduct its inspections before issuing NOCs, he added.