New Delhi: Residential buildings below 24 metres—a category that includes a large number of multi-storey houses, like the ill-fated building at Delhi’s Vivek Vihar—will fall outside the ambit of ‘fire and life safety’ provisions under the newly notified National Building Construction Standards (NBCS), which replaced the National Building Code (NBC) last week.The NBCS fire and public safety standards, which are merely “advisory” in nature, apply to buildings taller than 24 metres, versus the previous standard of 15 metres. Although the Deregulation Cell of the Cabinet Secretariat directed the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) to keep fire and life safety out of NBCS, it was included due to opposition from technical experts.These provisions set out the rules on how a building should be designed, equipped and managed to prevent fires and protect its occupants if they occur.
This includes means of escape, fire detection and alarm systems.The NBCS document said that “Fire and Life Safety” is only for guidance and referral to the state government and local authority regarding fire safety in buildings keeping in mind that “fire services are a governmental subject and a municipal function” as per the Constitution.“The provisions in NBCS have been updated keeping in mind the changes that have occurred over the years.
We’ve identified what states and municipalities can follow. “It is the responsibility of states and local authorities to ensure the safety of buildings and citizens,” said former Delhi Fire Service chief SK Dere, who heads the BIS’s fire safety committee.TOI has learnt that one of the main reasons for replacing NBC with NBCS is the confusion created by the term ‘Code’. Although the NBC was voluntary, its title implied legal enforceability, leading to disputes, litigation, and prosecutions of construction companies and government entities for not following the provisions of the law.The document notes that the nature of standards and laws has changed from a prescriptive system, under which states and local authorities require cooperation, to “a more performance-oriented outlook, allowing ample scope for innovation and decision-making.”However, experts involved in the preparation of both the current NBCS and NBS have raised concerns, noting the insufficient institutional capacity of many municipal bodies to formulate detailed standards.Ajit Kumar SM, committee member and president of the Karnataka Professional Civil Engineers Act Steering Association, warned that increasing state-level variation could lead to inconsistent safety standards. He highlighted concerns about the increased liability placed on professionals who do not enjoy adequate regulatory protection, which could jeopardize public safety and professional integrity.
