All structures in Surat, which are 8m high, will need to have a fire safety certificate and those higher than 12m equipped with fire safety systems under the new fire policy for the city expected to come into effect in a few months time. Commercial and residential buildings will have to renew their fire safety certificates every three and five years respectively.
A committee comprising Jagdish Patel, Rajesh Desai and Pravin Patel, who are BJP members of the standing committee of Surat Municipal Commission (SMC), has proposed these amendments in the fire policy. Standing Committee Chairman, Nirav Shah said, “We are discussing a few new provisions in the fire safety policy for the buildings and other structures in the city. The modalities of giving no objection certificates is also being looked into. A final decision will be taken before the announcement of municipal elections.”
SMC plans to fix tariff for the fire consultants. A fire consultant will be responsible for obtaining the fire safety certificate for a building before it is granted building use permission. The city has nearly 1 lakh buildings that are 8m high.
