Hyderabad: HYDRAA and the Intermediate Board directed junior college managements to prioritise student safety after authorities detected fake fire NOCs and initiated action against institutions.
The two agencies asked colleges to ensure that students and teaching staff could safely evacuate during an unexpected fire. They also directed managements to make necessary changes to buildings without delay wherever safety improvements were required.
HYDRAA had registered cases following the detection of fake fire NOCs. Meanwhile, the Intermediate Board had initiated action against the colleges concerned. Against this backdrop, both agencies jointly held a meeting with college managements and discussed their concerns.
Officials also examined why some institutions had submitted fake fire approvals. HYDRAA Commissioner A.V. Ranganath and Intermediate Board Secretary Abhilasha Abhinav addressed the college representatives.
They said their departments did not intend to harass managements over the fake fire NOCs issue. However, officials stressed that colleges should not compromise student safety by submitting invalid fire approvals.
The agencies also heard problems raised by college managements during the meeting. Ranganath said HYDRAA would consider allowing fire NOC renewals once every two years instead of requiring annual renewal. College managements had sought this relaxation.
He also asked colleges to provide a second staircase as part of their fire safety arrangements. Where older buildings lacked space for a second staircase, managements should explore alternative safety arrangements, he said. Ranganath asked institutions to submit applications for new fire NOCs and renewals through the HYDRAA online portal.
HYDRAA Fire NOC portal
He warned college managements against relying on brokers and said authorities had simplified the fire NOC process. Applications, approvals, renewal of previous permissions and fee payments had all been moved online, he said.
Therefore, applicants did not need to visit the HYDRAA office for these services. The online system applied across the three municipal corporations within the Core Urban Region Economy area.
These included the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Cyberabad Municipal Corporation and Malkajgiri Municipal Corporation. Ranganath said HYDRAA would also examine a proposal to issue fire NOCs through agencies approved by the authority.
Fake fire NOCs under detailed investigation
HYDRAA had launched a detailed investigation to identify those who planned and facilitated the fake fire NOCs, Ranganath said. He said authorities would take action against those found responsible.
At the same time, officials asked every junior college management to independently verify whether its existing fire NOC was genuine. Both departments reiterated that their objective was to ensure compliance rather than create difficulties for colleges.
Intermediate Board Secretary Abhilasha Abhinav also addressed the penalties imposed on institutions that had submitted fake approvals. She said the Board would reconsider the Rs 8 lakh penalty imposed on colleges over fake fire NOCs.
Earlier, HYDRAA Additional Director Varla Papaiah explained the applicable fire safety regulations to participants. Intermediate Board Joint Secretary Vasundhara also briefed the participants on matters related to the meeting.
Officials maintained that student safety should remain the primary consideration while colleges addressed fire compliance and building requirements.