Nagpur: A glaring gap between fire safety approvals and actual compliance has exposed a serious safety vulnerability in Nagpur, with thousands of building owners failing to secure final No Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the Nagpur Municipal Corporation’s (NMC) Fire and Emergency Services Department.

Official data reveals that the Fire Department has issued 4,538 primary NOCs to owners of mixed-purpose buildings since 2015. However, only 803 of them have subsequently obtained final NOCs. Another 828 owners have stated that their construction work is still under way.

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The figures leave a massive number of structures unaccounted for at the final-certification stage, raising a critical question over whether building owners are deliberately avoiding compliance after obtaining the initial clearance or are unable to meet mandatory fire safety requirements.

The situation is particularly alarming because a primary NOC does not mean that a building has received final fire safety clearance. Building owners are required to install prescribed fire-fighting and life-safety systems according to the nature, height and use of their structures before a final NOC can be issued.

Fire Department officials said owners who fail to install the mandatory safety systems or comply with prescribed norms are served notices and given a month to rectify the deficiencies. Despite this, compliance remains poor.

Since 2015, the department has issued 1,169 notices to building owners for violations of fire safety norms, but a significant number have failed to take corrective measures.

The extent of the problem is reflected in the stringent action taken under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006.

Under Section 8(1) of the Act, the Fire Department has issued 866 notices for evacuation of buildings or premises considered unsafe. In cases where owners continued to ignore safety requirements, authorities proceeded under Section 8(2)(a) and disconnected essential services.

The department has so far cut electricity and water connections to 634 structures under this provision. Of these, 54 structures have faced disconnection in 2026 alone, indicating that violations continue despite repeated warnings and enforcement action.

Authorities have also invoked Section 8(2)(b) in 152 cases, involving action to remove persons from unsafe buildings or portions of buildings through the police machinery having jurisdiction over the area.

Officials said the widening gap between primary and final NOCs is largely attributable to the casual approach of building owners towards fire safety. According to the department, many owners obtain the primary clearance and then fail to pursue the process for final certification, apparently assuming that the initial NOC is sufficient.

This approach, officials warned, can have potentially disastrous consequences in the event of a fire or other emergency.

The NMC has now begun identifying structures that obtained primary NOCs but have failed to secure final certification. Notices are being issued to such owners, directing them to comply with mandatory fire safety provisions.

The mounting figures have put the spotlight on enforcement of fire safety norms in the city. With only a fraction of structures securing final clearance after obtaining primary NOCs, the civic administration faces the daunting task of ensuring that fire safety compliance does not remain merely a paper exercise but translates into functioning safety systems on the ground.