The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has intensified its crackdown on buildings violating fire safety norms across the city, with the recent sealing of the Civil Lines premises housing the popular Nanking Restaurant serving as a strong warning to other defaulters.
Moving beyond routine notices and warnings, the Fire and Emergency Services Department has announced strict action against commercial establishments, hotels, restaurants and mixed-use buildings that fail to comply with mandatory fire safety regulations. Measures include disconnection of electricity and water supply, sealing of premises and criminal proceedings against violators.
Chief Fire Officer Tushar Barahate said the department will initially focus on buildings for which orders to disconnect utilities have already been issued. “If the prescribed fire safety measures are not implemented despite repeated notices, sealing action will be taken without delay,” he said.
Official records reveal the scale of the problem. The Fire Department has issued notices to 2,447 buildings under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006, for non-compliance with fire safety requirements.
Of these, 1,718 buildings have been declared unsafe and directed to be vacated. Authorities have ordered the disconnection of electricity and water supply in 1,276 cases, while police assistance has been sought in 317 cases to facilitate evacuation of occupants from hazardous structures. So far, 24 buildings have been sealed for continued violations.
Officials said a large number of violations have been found in commercial and mixed-use buildings, where residential units coexist with restaurants, offices and other business establishments, increasing the risk to occupants during emergencies.
The Nanking premises, officials noted, had repeatedly failed to implement mandatory fire safety measures despite receiving notices over nearly two years and facing directions from the High Court. The continued non-compliance ultimately led to the sealing of the property.
Under the ongoing drive, all identified violators will be issued notices and given seven days to comply with the prescribed norms. Buildings posing an immediate threat to life and property will be prioritised for enforcement action.
The department has also stepped up legal proceedings against defaulters. Criminal action has been initiated in 100 cases under Section 36 of the Act, while 52 cases have already progressed to legal proceedings under Section 40.
The intensified enforcement follows directives from Mayor Neeta Thakre, who instructed officials to adopt a tougher approach towards fire safety violations. Fire Committee Chairperson Rupali Thakur is closely monitoring the implementation of the drive.
With more than a thousand buildings already classified as unsafe and hundreds facing utility disconnections, legal action or sealing, civic authorities have made it clear that adherence to fire safety norms is mandatory and that violations will invite strict consequences.
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