Gujarat Govt Gives Urban Development Dept Sole Authority to Issue Factory Fire NOCs

Gandhinagar: The Gujarat government has decided to vest the Urban Development Department (UDD) with exclusive authority over fire safety regulation and the issuance of Fire No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for factories across the state, ending nearly five years of administrative ambiguity between the Urban Development and Labour Departments.

The decision, taken at a high-level meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary, will apply to all registered factories in Gujarat, whether they are located within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities or outside urban local body jurisdictions. An official government notification is expected to be issued shortly.

Officials said the move is aimed at streamlining the implementation of fire safety norms in industrial units. Gujarat has around 51,000 registered factories, and the lack of clarity over departmental responsibilities since 2021 had affected both enforcement and the issuance of Fire NOCs.

Under the revised framework, the Urban Development Department will be responsible for framing and enforcing fire safety norms, inspecting industrial units, ensuring the installation of mandatory firefighting systems, issuing Fire NOCs, and overseeing overall fire safety compliance in factories.

To strengthen the system further, the state government has also decided to establish a dedicated Industrial Fire Safety Wing under the Urban Development Department. Separate fire service units for industrial and non-industrial areas will also be created in municipal corporation areas. These units will be equipped with trained personnel, specialised firefighting equipment and the necessary infrastructure. The state government will provide additional financial assistance for expanding these facilities.

According to officials, the changes address issues that arose after a 2021 government resolution, under which responsibility for fire safety in factories was assigned to the Labour Department. While the Labour Department continued to oversee workplace safety and compliance with factory laws, it lacked specialised firefighting equipment, modern machinery and trained personnel required to effectively regulate fire safety and issue Fire NOCs. This led to delays and operational difficulties in the approval process.

With the new arrangement, the responsibilities of the two departments have been clearly defined. The Urban Development Department will oversee fire safety regulations, inspections, Fire NOC issuance, fire service infrastructure and the Industrial Fire Safety Wing. The Labour Department will continue to focus on workplace safety, accident prevention, enforcement of factory safety laws and other industrial safety-related functions. DeshGujarat