Jaipur: The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) has made fire clearance mandatory before approving building plans, aligning its process with the urban development and housing department’s Fire Safety Provisions-2026. The step follows a series of fatal fires reported in coaching centres, hotels, restaurants and apartment buildings across the country.Officials said all building proposals covered under the new provisions will first be scrutinised by Jaipur Municipal Corporation’s chief fire officer. JDA will issue the sanctioned plan only after the fire wing grants its no-objection certificate.“We are not going to grant any such approvals without the NOC of the JMC’s fire wing. In addition, we will also obtain affidavits from the developer, architect and structural engineer certifying compliance with the Fire Safety Provisions-2026 before issuing the approved plans,” said an official.Until now, applicants paid plan approval fees, fire NOC charges and labour cess while submitting applications. JDA examined documents, conducted site verification and approved building plans, while applicants could secure the fire NOC later. The revised process reverses that sequence, making fire clearance a precondition rather than a post-approval formality.“Following several fire incidents in restaurants and coaching centres across the country in the last few months, teams from both the urban development and local self-govt departments carried out a survey to find out lapses in approvals related to buildings in Jaipur. It has been noticed that several buildings don’t renew NOCs or lack fire safety measures and infrastructure,” another official said.Officials said the change is intended to plug approval gaps, force timely compliance and ensure developers, architects and structural engineers are accountable for fire-safety norms before construction permissions are issued in the city under tighter scrutiny from the very outset.
