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Most city schools are a potential threat to children’s lives as they haven’t renewed NOC for fire compliance
Only 150 out of 367 private schools have a valid NOC from the fire department. These schools lack proper fire-fighting equipment or even basic norms satisfying the National Building Code of India, 2005 posing a threat to students of schools.
If you were to discover that a building houses your future. What lifestyle will you live tomorrow? What kind of a retirement will you have? What kind of a government you will elect? Basically, the probability of housing everything that is important for tomorrow; how will you maintain and keep such a building? Needless to say, you will treasure such a building; guard it with your life.
How different is a school building that the hypothetical building just discussed? Aren’t your future and the collective future of the country being shaped in the school? Then what excuse can justify the lack of preparedness of schools to combat fire mishaps in Vijayawada?
Only 150 out of 367 private schools have a valid NOC from the fire department. These schools lack proper fire-fighting equipment or even basic norms satisfying the National Building Code of India, 2005 posing a threat to students of schools run in congested apartments and multi-storey buildings.
The law mandates acquiring a ‘No Objection Certificate’ from the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Response & Fire Services Department for any school before applying for permission with the School Education Department. Only acquiring the NOC isn’t sufficient, it needs to periodically renewed. According to the Regional Fire Officer in fire prevention wing of Vijayawada Municipal Corporation, S.V. Chowdary, “Nearly 100 schools have outdated NOCs and we have served notices to them after inspection. However, there is no response. There are many schools that do not have any NOC so far.”
“The Education Department should insist on NOCs when giving permissions. Implementation of the rule would be only possible if the Education Department acts strictly against the violating schools. We will write a letter to the department asking them to conduct special drive to check NOCs,” says Mr. Chowdary.
According to the guidelines, schools having more than G+1 stories have to install and maintain a full-fledged fire safety system with fully-automated roof, attached with water sprinklers. In terms of physical infrastructure, the school building should have a sufficient approach road to enable easy access to ambulance and fire engines during mishaps. Also, the width of corridors, classrooms and other paths in the school premises must be as per the building code.