70 Thane hospitals sent notices over lack of fire NOCs

Mumbai: The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has issued notices to 70 hospitals for not having fire no-objection certificates (NOCs). The notices were issued as per the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Act 2006 and Maharashtra Fire Safety Rules 2009.

At the last hearing, the Bombay high court had issued notices to the TMC for allowing hospitals to run without having fire NOCs. The court had directed the TMC to file an affidavit in this regard. The direction came after a petition had been filed after the fire outbreak at ESCI Kamgar Hospital in Andheri where six people were killed and 146 got injured in December last year.

Ratan Pardeshi, fire officer of TMC, who filed the affidavit, submitted that out of 375 private hospitals and nursing homes situated in the TMC, 231 private hospitals have been inspected. It was found that of them, 181 hospitals have obtained the necessary NOC from the fire department and the remaining 70 have not obtained fire NOCs and, therefore, notices have been issued to them under Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006 and Rules 7 (1) and 9 (1) of the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measure Rules, 2009. The affidavit stated said the TMC wanted more time to inspect 144 more hospitals.

Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice B.P. Colabawala were hearing a petition filed by the social activist Sapan Srivastav who alleged that TMC is overlooking fire NOCs of hospitals and it would be held responsible if fire incidents occurred in them. The petitioner informed the court that only 45 hospitals had fire NOCs. Irked with this, the court asked the TMC to clear its stand.