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Telangana grants one-year fire NOC abeyance to 217 private junior colleges

From the 2025-26 academic year onwards, private colleges must secure the mandatory fire safety NOC to continue operations.
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HYDERABAD: The state government has granted a one-year abeyance of the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department to over 200 private junior colleges, allowing them to continue operations. The NOC is a key requirement for these institutions to function.

This decision provides relief to 217 private colleges located in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts, collectively accommodating around 65,000 to 75,000 students.

Initially, the abeyance for the fire NOC was granted for the 2020-21 academic year and subsequently extended to 2021-22. From 2022 to 2024, a two-year abeyance was in effect. In response to a request by the Telangana Private Junior College Managements Association (TPJMA) for a further two-year extension, the government has extended the abeyance only for the academic year 2024-25.

On Wednesday, the government issued an order clarifying that no further extensions will be granted. From the 2025-26 academic year onwards, private colleges must secure the mandatory fire safety NOC to continue operations.

The order also mandated implementation of temporary fire safety measures, including the placement of adequate fire extinguishers in every room.

As per GO 20, colleges up to 15 meters in height and operating in mixed-occupancy buildings are required to obtain an NOC from the fire department. However, college managements have repeatedly requested abeyance due to challenges such as poorly maintained buildings and outdated infrastructure, which make compliance with fire safety norms difficult.

TPJMA President Gouri Satish told TNIE: “We are thankful to the government for allowing the abeyance on the fire NOC for the year 2024-25. We are fully prepared to implement fire safety measures for the academic year 2025-26. A meeting with the Chief Minister and senior officials will be held soon to address various issues for the next academic year, based on which further actions will be taken.”

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