Disaster Management in schools especially in case of fire in schools is a matter of concern. In a reality check conducted by Mail Today revealed that the number of schools not having a no-objection certificate from the fire department, both public and private, was alarmingly high. The data accessed indicated that some schools have been operating with and NOC for as long as 13 years with having been fined even once. This is the state of affairs after the Delhi High Court keeps pulling up the government and the municipal authorities from time to time. The fire department is aware of the situation and is sending notices to erring schools. If the orders are defied further, legal action will be initiated.
Many a times it has been observed that the schools that do not have NOC are either old buildings without necessary infrastructural changes required to fight fire and make way for easy evacuation or are situated in narrow congested lanes and have narrow staircases that makes the fire engine movement impossible. To make matters worse, many schools do not even have sufficient fire extinguishers.
Source: India Today
