PMC to recover unpaid fire certificate renewals and service charges, expects Rs 15-20 crore a year

The fire department of the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has begun tracing establishments and housing societies that have not renewed their fire certificates or paid the annual fire service charge. A proposal to recover the dues has been sent to Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram for approval. The department says the recovery could bring the civic body Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore every year.

On the commissioner's orders, the fire department has also begun checking fire safety arrangements across the city at coaching classes, paying guest accommodations, educational buildings, hazardous godowns, scrap shops, hospitals, petrol pumps and other establishments.

The inspections found that many of these establishments had made no firefighting arrangements at all. It also emerged that many had not obtained the approvals required to run their business and had not paid the fee due to the civic body every year for renewal.

Ganesh Sonune, head of the fire department, said the problem is much bigger. According to him, many societies in the city do not obtain a no objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department at all. Those that do often fail to renew it after the certificate expires.

The PMC charges a fire fighting fee when it issues the final occupancy letter for a new building. Under the fire safety Act, the establishments concerned and large housing societies must pay one per cent of that fee to the PMC every year and renew their certificate. After final occupancy letters are issued, the fire fee brings the fire department Rs 150 crore to Rs 200 crore. One per cent of that comes to Rs 15 crore to Rs 20 crore a year.

Sonune said most establishments stop paying as soon as they receive the final occupancy letter. He said, "Establishments in the city have to pay one per cent of the fee every year. But because of this negligence, it has come to light that the civic body's income is falling. So after a review, the fire department has decided to recover this amount, and a proposal has been given to the commissioner for approval."

He also said the department is tracing those who have been negligent and that action against them has already begun. The rapidly growing city has increased the burden on the fire service, and the department has therefore decided to give priority to recovering these charges.