Director General of Telangana Fire Services Vikram Singh Mann during an interaction at the Telangana Fire Services headquarters in Hyderabad on Tuesday.
The Telangana Fire Services will issue a practical checklist for inspections of existing schools and junior colleges, taking into account the difficulties faced by educational institutions in meeting prescribed fire safety requirements in older buildings.
The decision was announced during an interaction on Tuesday at the Telangana Fire Services headquarters in Hyderabad, where around 30 representatives of schools, junior colleges and educational institutions’ associations discussed issues relating to Fire No Objection Certificates (Fire NOCs).
Director General of Telangana Fire Services Vikram Singh Mann said the checklist would guide department officials while inspecting existing buildings in which schools and junior colleges are functioning. The move comes amid discussions on the practical difficulties of implementing fire safety requirements in buildings where structural modifications may not be feasible.
The meeting examined the applicability of various government orders relating to fire safety in schools and junior colleges, particularly institutions functioning in mixed-occupancy buildings. Issues including setbacks, means of escape and other life-safety arrangements based on the number of occupants were also discussed.
The participants also sought a uniform checklist and inspection procedure so that applications from existing educational institutions are scrutinised consistently across the State.
The Fire Services said managements of educational institutions could either submit self-undertakings or apply for regular Fire NOCs, as applicable under the existing guidelines.
Mr Mann stressed the need for educational institutions to comply with prescribed fire safety standards and ensure that essential fire prevention, protection and life-safety systems were available and functioning properly. He said effective fire safety arrangements were particularly important in schools and junior colleges as children of different age groups spend considerable time in these buildings.
The department also discussed measures to prevent the fabrication, forgery or submission of unauthorised Fire NOCs and ways to establish a reasonable, effective and transparent framework for issuing and verifying Fire NOCs for educational institutions.
Mr Mann cautioned educational institutions against falling prey to unscrupulous persons promising to arrange Fire NOCs. He said such persons could land institutions in trouble and lead to legal action.
Senior officials of the Telangana Fire Services, including District Fire Officers and Assistant District Fire Officers, attended the interaction and participated in the discussions.
Published – September 08, 2026 08:33 pm IST
