The fire services department of state government decided to make it mandatory for small businesses to get a license from the AP State Disaster Response and Fire Services division to run their business.
Nine categories of commercial organisations are to be included in the list. Such businesses include petrol bunks, nursing homes, lodges without restaurants, hotels, supermarkets, function halls and so on. These norms are governed by AP Fire Services Act, 1999, and rule 19 (1) of the AP Fire & Emergency Operations and Levy of Fee Rules, 2006.
High-rise buildings, residential as well as commercial and hotels must take ‘No Objection Certificate’ (NOC) to be given by the department.
Significantly, once the NOC is issued to a party, the department has no way to examine their compliance with fire norms. It is, however, not so with establishments that starts business after the issue of NOC. The authorities would check them periodically as per rules.