Fire NOC Crisis in Rajkot Schools: 221 Applications Unprocessed, 42 Schools Failed to Apply, Putting Student Lives at Risk
Following the tragic and serious incident where 27 people were burned alive in a fire at the TRP Game Zone in Rajkot, the municipal administration has woken up to the alarming situation. Firefighting equipment and Fire NOC (No Objection Certificate) inspections were conducted rigorously in various locations. It was found that several schools in Rajkot city and district were lacking necessary fire safety measures.
As of now, considering the current situation four months after the incident, there are a total of 3,132 schools in Rajkot city and district, including government, granted, and non-granted (private) institutions.
Among these, three schools have been sealed: Sunflame School (Gujarati and English medium) in Lodhika, Ketan Vidyalay, Navjeevan High School, and Ankur Vidyalay. Additionally, there are 221 schools that have applied for Fire NOCs but have yet to receive them. Furthermore, 42 schools have not even applied for Fire NOCs. These statistics have been provided by the Rajkot District Education Officer (DEO).
Fire NOC Status of Municipal Primary Education Committee Schools
The Rajkot Municipal Corporation operates 93 government primary schools under the Municipal Primary Education Committee. Among these, 10 schools have obtained Fire NOCs. Additionally, 10 schools have applied for Fire NOCs.
However, there are 34 schools that have not applied for a Fire NOC, and 39 schools possess a self-declaration indicating that they have firefighting equipment.
This self-declaration means that these schools have firefighting measures in place, but they have an area of less than 500 square meters on one floor and a building height of less than 9 meters.
Fire NOC Acquisition in Schools Under District Panchayat
In Rajkot district, there are a total of 2,132 schools, including pre-primary and primary institutions, across 11 talukas managed by the District Panchayat. These schools encompass 2,667 buildings, of which 441 have obtained Fire NOCs.
Additionally, 152 schools have applied for Fire NOCs but have not yet received them. There are also 35 schools that have submitted applications for the renewal of their Fire NOCs.
Furthermore, among the schools with self-declarations, 1,504 possess the necessary firefighting equipment.
Schools Sealed in Rajkot Due to Fire Safety Concerns
In Rajkot, there are a total of 916 schools, including government, granted, and non-granted (private) institutions, under the jurisdiction of the District Education Officer. Out of these, 367 schools have obtained Fire NOCs, while 59 schools have applied for Fire NOCs. Additionally, 8 schools have yet to submit any application for Fire NOCs.
Among the schools with self-declarations, a total of 410 have the necessary firefighting equipment. However, 66 schools possess self-declarations but do not have the required firefighting equipment. Notably, 3 schools have been sealed due to non-compliance with fire safety regulations.
Status of Schools Under Rajkot Municipal Corporation Education Committee
- Total Number of Schools: 93
- Schools with Fire NOC: 10
- Schools that Applied for Fire NOC: 10
- Schools that Have Not Applied for Fire NOC: 34
- Schools with Self-Declaration: 39
Status of Schools Under the Rajkot District Primary Education Officer
- Management Type: Granted
- School Type: Primary
- Total Schools: 10
- Number of Buildings: 9
- Schools that Applied for Fire NOC: 1
- Schools with Self-Declaration: 9
Status of Non-Granted Schools in Rajkot
- Management Type: Non-Granted
- School Type: Pre-Primary and Primary
- Total Schools: 363
- Number of Buildings: 364
- Schools with Fire NOC: 130
- Schools that Applied for Fire NOC: 35
- Schools that Applied for Renewal: 9
- Schools with Self-Declaration: 189
- Sealed Schools: 2
Status of Non-Granted Primary Schools in Rajkot
- Management Type: Non-Granted
- School Type: Primary
- Total Schools: 786
- Number of Buildings: 750
- Schools with Fire NOC: 256
- Schools that Applied for Fire NOC: 57
- Schools that Applied for Renewal: 15
- Schools with Self-Declaration: 458
Status of Secondary and Higher Secondary Schools Under the Rajkot District Education Officer
- School Type: Secondary – Higher Secondary
- Management Type: Government
- Total Schools: 47
- Schools with Fire NOC: 5
- Schools that Applied for Fire NOC: 2
- Schools with Self-Declaration: 25
- Schools Without Required Equipment: 14
Status of High Schools Under the Granted Management
- School Type: High School
- Management Type: Granted
- Total Schools: 238
- Schools with Fire NOC: 37
- Schools that Applied for Fire NOC: 7
- Schools that Have Not Applied for Fire NOC: 5
- Schools with Self-Declaration: 140
- Schools Without Required Equipment: 49
- Sealed Schools: 2
Status of High Schools Under Non-Granted Management
- School Type: High School
- Management Type: Non-Granted
- Total Schools: 631
- Schools with Fire NOC: 325
- Schools that Applied for Fire NOC: 50
- Schools that Have Not Applied for Fire NOC: 3
- Schools with Self-Declaration: 245
- Schools Without Required Equipment: 3
Sealed Schools: 1
