As part of making buildings safer and better equipped with fire fighting system, the Fire and Rescue Services Department has started giving one-year permit to commercial and industrial buildings, and apartment complexes after cancelling the system of granting lifetime permit.
According to officials in Fire and Rescue Services Department, for the last one month they have being implementing the new rule following a directive of the Home Department.
A top official in the Fire and Rescue Services Department said the decision was taken after it was noted that several commercial and industrial establishments maintain poor primary fire-fighting equipment.
“Earlier people used to apply for the permit after the construction of the building. After inspecting the building, we give the clearance certificate. After getting a permit from the Fire and Rescue Services Department for lifetime, these people never update the fire-fighting system. Several old buildings have no fire-fighting system now. To renew the permit each year, owners of the building will have to update the system each year. Officials of the department would visit the building and suggest the required fire-fighting arrangements. Only after the installation of the required fire-fighting system, the permit would be renewed. Officials in the fire station would give inform the owner of the building to renew the permit every year,” an official in Fire and Rescue Department said.
Officials said for renewing the permit, a fee has been fixed according to the space and usage of the building.