Chandigarh: The municipal corporation (MC) is considering sweeping changes to the city’s fire safety regulations, with a focus on aligning them with modern, liberalised global norms to enhance fire safety standards, while easing the compliance burden on building owners and industries.Among key reforms under consideration are the creation of shared fire-fighting infrastructure, rationalisation of fire safety standards in line with international benchmarks and modern technology, and removal of duplicate technical requirements currently spread across multiple laws and rules. The proposed changes also include revisiting norms related to water tank capacity, building setbacks, and height-related restrictions. This follows recommendations made by the central govt, with the UT administration setting March 31, 2026, as the deadline for the municipal corporation to finalise proposed changes. According to officials, the MC is examining the removal of all height-based restrictions for certain categories of buildings, such as hospitals and industrial units, in line with practices followed internationally. Confirming this, an MC official said, “Some of the changes may include removal of all height-based restrictions for buildings in line with global norms. Further, it will involve rationalisation of setback requirements.” For tall buildings, the maximum setback requirement under the proposed norms may not exceed 9 metres. Another major change being considered is doing away with references to the National Building Code (NBC) in building byelaws, building plan approvals, and fire and life safety acts and rules. These are proposed to be replaced with modern, liberalised standards tailored to current technologies and international practices. The reforms also aim to simplify the process for obtaining fire no-objection certificates (NOCs). “The focus is on easing the process for getting necessary fire NOCs by removing duplicate technical requirements in the Fire Act and rules that are already covered under development control regulations,” the official said. Shared Infrastructure Provision for shared or common fire-fighting infrastructure — such as hydrants and water tanks — is proposed to be introduced in industrial parks and estates as an alternative to mandatory plot-level installations. Commercial units may also be allowed to pool resources to meet fire safety requirements collectively. In addition, fire safety norms are proposed to be rationalised in areas such as water tank capacity, distance to exits and fire extinguishers, spacing of hydrants, extinguishers and sprinklers, and staircase design. The changes also envisage strengthening fire safety mechanisms in industrial areas, including installation of public fire hydrants. Haryana fire rules adopted Last year, the general house of the MC passed a resolution to adopt the Haryana Fire and Emergency Service Act, 2022, replacing the outdated Delhi fire safety laws of 1986. However, officials said latest reforms proposed would go beyond the recently adopted Haryana framework. A proposal for adoption of the Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022, with amendments and requisite notification, has already been submitted to the ministry of home affairs (MHA). “The submitted proposal may be sent back by the MHA, and UT Chandigarh may revise it as per recommendations. The revised draft will then be shared again with the MHA for approval, following which rules will be notified in UT Chandigarh,” the official said. MSID:: 128164592 413 |
