DFS issues clarification on coaching centres requiring fire safety certificates

New Delhi: The Delhi Fire Services has written to the MCD clarifying that coaching centre buildings operating on ground plus a floor and having a height of less than 9 metres do not require a fire safety certificate.

The clarification was posted on X, formerly Twitter, as many people approached the department after the Delhi High Court took suo motu cognisance of the Mukherjee Nagar incident and issued certain directions to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

A coaching institute in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area caught fire this June following which students smashed windows, climbed down ropes and took the help of ladders in desperate attempts to escape a fire that broke out in the building housing it.

"As you are aware that subsequent to a fire incident occurred in a coaching center located at Mukherjee Nagar, Delhi on 15.06.2023, High Court of Delhi took a suo moto cognizance of the matter and issued certain directions to MCD vide judgment on July 25. Since then, a lot of people are approaching the fire department and raising various types of queries pertaining to coaching centres, that is, whether their centres need a fire safety certificate or not," the communication, dated August 16, read. The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) also listed out norms for buildings that do not require a fire safety certificate.

Therefore, in order to streamline the matter, it is clarified that the coaching centres (for students more than 20) are considered educational buildings. Accordingly, coaching centres (for students less than 20) do not require a fire safety certificate from the Delhi Fire Services, it said.

"Under the present norms, the coaching centres having ground plus one floor and having height less than 9 metres do not require a fire safety certificate from the Delhi Fire Services," it said.

The coaching centres running at ground plus one floor of any building also do not require a separate fire safety certificate from DFS if the said building has a valid fire safety certificate from the department, the communication added.

The DFS has asked the MCD to convey information about these norms to inspecting officers to avoid any hardships to public.