NEW DELHI: A technical committee of Bureau of Indian Standards has recommended the cabinet secretariat’s deregulation cell to reconsider its “suggestion” to drop fire and life safety from the main National Building Code and move it to a “handbook”, arguing fire safety is a critical issue and buildings that are not planned or maintained well can turn into death traps.The deregulation cell, which is looking to ease life for individuals and businesses, has proposed a revamp of the National Building Code (NBC), with sections dealing with prerequisites for applying provisions of the code, administration and development control and promotion norms along with general building requirements be deleted. The cell’s suggestions were based on inputs from stakeholders.The cell had also proposed that fire and life safety, construction management, landscape development, approach to sustainability asset and facility management be part of separate “handbooks”, which work as references for best practices. The idea is to leave it to state govts and municipal authorities to decide norms.This is the second instance of the cell suggesting BIS change the norms. Last one was the withdrawal of notification related to revised seismic code.The BIS committee has accepted several suggestions of the deregulation cell, including the provision of dividing a city into fire zones, removing height restriction and relaxing the requirement of sprinkler system for all low-hazard and small-scale industries. “The committee has agreed to modify provisions where suggestions have merit. But any dilution of fire safety norms must be avoided for public safety,” said a panel member.Some committee members said that when draft NBC-2025 was ready for publication after over two years of work by experts, the cell in a letter to states said NBC is not mandatory for them to follow. The June 25 last year letter stated, “NBC is not legally binding. It’s a voluntary code for reference. It is not a ‘code’ in a legally binding sense…The subject of land and buildings is listed in List-II (State List) in the Constitution.” “Hence buildings and matters like norms for FAR/FSI, set back, ground coverage, parking, green area, fire regulation, etc as well as other aspects covered in NBC are within the exclusive legislative and executive jurisdiction of states,” it said.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Pakistan Will Be Divided Into…’: Rajnath Singh’s Strong Response To Khawaja Asif’s Kolkata ThreatAhead Of Vikram Misri’s US Visit, Sergio Gor’s High Level Meetings Set Stage For Key Strategic TalksAfter US Rescue Ops Inside Iran, Question Emerges, Could India Have Attempted Such Mission In 2019?’India’s Global Rise Needs Military Edge’: Michael Rubin Urges Delhi To Match Power With CapabilityGovt Boosts 5-Kg LPG Allocation For Migrants As Supply Pressure GrowsPakistan’s Kolkata Threat Row: TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee Slams PM Modi, Shah With Fiery Response“Mad Dog Has Bitten Them”: Assam CM’s Wife Launches Fiery Attack On CongressPM Modi Hails Nuclear Milestone, India’s Fast Breeder Reactor At Kalpakkam Reaches Criticality Stage“Saved Millions Of Lives”: Trump Repeats Explosive India-Pak Truce Claim Amid Iran WarPakistan To Repay $4.8 Billion In External Debt By June, Including $3.5 Billion To UAE: Report123PhotostoriesSummer fridge warning: These small mistakes can overheat your compressor and cause a blastDelhi Pragati Maidan underpass-5 back on track after Railway NOC work is scheduled to finish by Dec 2026Things you can do if you wake up between 3 AM and 5 AMThe biggest sign you are with the right partnerAlia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor’s airport look screams Monaco millionaire energy – let’s decode their quiet luxury momentCarry this with you for wealth and financial stability based on your birth date5 castles where people still live—and you can visit tooPlatinum vs Silver: What are the main differences?Baby names inspired by Lord Hanuman10 ancient ways people preserved food before refrigerators existed123Hot PicksLuka Doncic InjuryUpdated IPL Points TableOil PriceSilver Rate TodayLPG NewsPublic holidays April 2026Bank Holidays AprilTop TrendingRory McilroyBlake LivelyKerala pollsWest Bengal assembly electionEA FC 26 Team of the SeasonKerala ElectionStrait of HormuzIPL Points TableSchool Holidays in AprilKarnataka 2nd PUC Exam Result Date
NEW DELHI: A technical committee of Bureau of Indian Standards has recommended the cabinet secretariat’s deregulation cell to reconsider its “suggestion” to drop fire and life safety from the main National Building Code and move it to a “handbook”, arguing fire safety is a critical issue and buildings that are not planned or maintained well can turn into death traps.The deregulation cell, which is looking to ease life for individuals and businesses, has proposed a revamp of the National Building Code (NBC), with sections dealing with prerequisites for applying provisions of the code, administration and development control and promotion norms along with general building requirements be deleted. The cell’s suggestions were based on inputs from stakeholders.The cell had also proposed that fire and life safety, construction management, landscape development, approach to sustainability asset and facility management be part of separate “handbooks”, which work as references for best practices. The idea is to leave it to state govts and municipal authorities to decide norms.This is the second instance of the cell suggesting BIS change the norms. Last one was the withdrawal of notification related to revised seismic code.The BIS committee has accepted several suggestions of the deregulation cell, including the provision of dividing a city into fire zones, removing height restriction and relaxing the requirement of sprinkler system for all low-hazard and small-scale industries. “The committee has agreed to modify provisions where suggestions have merit. But any dilution of fire safety norms must be avoided for public safety,” said a panel member.Some committee members said that when draft NBC-2025 was ready for publication after over two years of work by experts, the cell in a letter to states said NBC is not mandatory for them to follow. The June 25 last year letter stated, “NBC is not legally binding. It’s a voluntary code for reference. It is not a ‘code’ in a legally binding sense…The subject of land and buildings is listed in List-II (State List) in the Constitution.” “Hence buildings and matters like norms for FAR/FSI, set back, ground coverage, parking, green area, fire regulation, etc as well as other aspects covered in NBC are within the exclusive legislative and executive jurisdiction of states,” it said.
