Home buyers in Noida want fire safety devices rechecked

Buyers claimed that most apartments which have been given completion certificates may still lack basic fire control equipment. Abhishek Kumar, president, Noida Extension Flat Owners Welfare Association (Nefowa) said, “At least two fires were reported recently. All fire-safety devices should be checked regularly and fire-safety certificates should be offered conditionally, based on their efficiency. The fire department and Noida Authority should make it mandatory for the apartment associations to comply with all the fire safety rules.” However, Noida Authority officials claimed that all apartments which have been given completion certificates “were checked for fire-certification”. “From March 2018 to February 2019, completion certificates have been given to 12,749 apartments. Certification of fire-safety is mandatory for completion certificates. We have done our checks ahead of issuing completion certificates,” OSD to Noida Authority, Rajesh Kumar, said.

The fire department said that certification for fire-safety is checked by Noida Authority before giving completion certificates, but regular checking of fire-safety devices has so far not been the norm.

“Securing fire-safety certificates is mandatory. When we do detect any builder to have by-passed fire certification, we raise prosecution against them in the court of law. We have taken a few builders to court for violation of fire safety norms. The residents should keep their fire safety systems up-to-date and functional in order to combat any hazard,” Arun Kumar Singh, Chief Fire Officer, Gautam Budh Nagar said.