Vadodara Fire Dept Probes High-Rise Building Records After Fake NOC Surfaces

Vadodara: A suspected fake Fire No-Objection Certificate (NOC) has come to light in Vadodara, raising concerns over the safety and fire compliance of high-rise buildings in the city. The document appears to have been created by copying and digitally editing an old NOC, with the name and signature of suspended in-charge Chief Fire Officer Parth Brahmabhatt used on it.

The incident is similar to a case reported around one-and-a-half years ago, when an old Fire NOC was allegedly manipulated. Following the latest case, the Vadodara Fire Department has intensified its investigation and started scrutinising NOCs and related documents of other buildings in the city.

According to the fire department, NOCs are generally issued for a period of three years. However, in the suspected fake document, details including the tower, date and validity period appear to have been altered. Officials have also raised the possibility that digital editing tools were used to modify the original document.

Chief Fire Officer in Charge Harendrasinh Chauhan said the department’s team visited the building mentioned in the document and verified the records.

“Our team visited the building mentioned in the NOC and also checked the system records. The NOC provided to us by the builder and the NOC available in our office records were found to be genuine. However, the NOC that has gone viral appears to have been altered in terms of the date, tower and validity period,” Chauhan said.

He added that the document appears to have been digitally tampered with and that the department is investigating whether the altered NOC was circulated with an intention to damage the reputation of the fire department.

The fire department is now checking the authenticity of documents associated with other buildings as part of the investigation. Further action will be taken after the verification process is completed. DeshGujarat