Court Pulls Up Gujarat Over Issues In Fire Clearance, Building Permission

The High Court gave Gujarat government and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation four weeks to come up with a concrete plan to address the issue

The Gujarat High Court on Friday came down heavily on the state government over the issue of fire NOC and Building Use permission, stating that the government had not taken any action against officers involved in allowing illegal construction and then permitting such buildings to function without fire NOCs. The High Court bench comprising Justices Bela Trivedi and Bhargav D Karia gave the Gujarat government and Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation four weeks' time to come up with a "concrete plan" to address the issue of non-compliance of rules regarding fire no objection certificates and Building Use permission. "Enough is enough. It is time for action. You need to come up with a concrete action plan with a time schedule," the bench said, while hearing a set of petitions regarding fire safety scenario in the cities. While Advocate General Kamal Trivedi urged the bench to take up only the fire NOC issue at the moment and not to touch the "larger" matter of Building Use permission, the bench insisted on addressing both issues simultaneously, as the judges felt they are interconnected and cannot be separated.