Under construction building. ( Representational image) NEW DELHI: The National Building Code (NBC) will be replaced by a National Building Standard (NBS) by April-end, giving states and municipal bodies rights over matters such as development control norms, fire safety and administration. This would be done as land and buildings fall under their jurisdiction.The Cabinet Secretariat has directed the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) to complete the task.Experts, who have been involved in the preparation of the latest NBC draft, said matters related to fire safety should be part of the proposed standard and not be tweaked, considering the safety of occupants and people at large. However, they said, changes to some parts of the existing Code are possible, till the NBS is published.Israel Iran WarUS-Israel-Iran War News Live Updates: US pounds Iranian missile sites near key Strait of Hormuz; Iran rains down cluster bombs on Tel AvivUAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain announces official start date of Eid Al Fitr 2026‘Trust completely shattered’: Saudi Arabia warns Iran of military retaliation after wave of Gulf attacksPeople aware of the development said the deregulation cell under Cabinet Secretariat has asked BIS to make “hand books” for some parts of the NBC, including the chapter dealing with fire safety, which states can refer to as best practices.“NBC is voluntary in nature, and hence, we feel that the Code can exist, and states can tweak them. It’s important to retain parts relating to fire safety. We must realise that fire safety engineering is largely missing in our country and if we don’t have a national standard, it’s impact will be visible considering that we lack robust fire safety infrastructure,” said Srinivas Valluri, national president of Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI), who has been a member of the technical committee for NBC of 2016 and 2025.Corroborating this, another member of the technical committee, U S Chhillar said, the national standard can help guide states and municipal bodies which otherwise have less capacity on such matters. “We (technical committee) want to inform the govt about the need for these standards. But govt wants us to simply change the sections as per their instructions,” said Chhillar, director general of the Institution of Fire Engineers.Recently, the Cabinet Secretariat had intervened to withdraw the revised 2025 BIS seismic zoning map standard after the housing and urban affairs ministry flagged increase in cost of Metro Rail projects, technical complexity and lack of stakeholder consultation. There was a directive to BIS to “immediately” withdraw the draft standards, TOI has learnt.People aware about the developments said that the updation of NBC was done after more than two years’ work and just when it was about to be published, the Cabinet Secretariat in June last year wrote to all states, saying that it is not mandatory to follow NBC. This was followed by directives to BIS to make it only a standard document and tweak provisions.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideos’Urgent Need For De-Escalation’: PM Modi Speaks To French President Macron On West Asia ConflictMEA Receives Consular Access Request After Arrest Of Six Ukrainians By NIA’Condemnable’: PM Modi Dials Jordan’s King, Slams Attacks On Energy Infra In West Asia’Including Russia’: MEA’s Key Message On India’s LPG, Crude Oil Sourcing Amid Global Energy Crisis’Clandestine Nuclear Nonproliferation’: India Reacts To US Intel Chief’s Remarks On Pakistan’Concerning, But No Shortage’: Centre On LPG Situation, Warns Against Hoarding & Black MarketingSC Flags “Very Unusual” Situation, Seeks Remedy Over Mamata ‘Obstructing’ ED ChargeWar, Oil & Economy: Big Risks Ahead for India Explained’India Doing The Right Thing’: Congress Backs Modi Govt On Iran War, Tewari Says ‘Not Our War’Karti Chidambaram on TN Polls: ‘Stalin Way Ahead, Vijay’s Star Power Not Enough, BJP Has No Ground’123PhotostoriesEid 2026: How to make classic Hyderabadi Haleem at home for the celebrationWhat do atronauts eat? 8 categories of space food designed to keep them healthyThe ‘wall up’ test: A simple daily check to detect hidden back pain, posture issues, and protect your spine healthEid AI photo editing prompts: Google Gemini AI prompts for Eid-ul-Fitr 2026 celebrations on Instagram, WhatsApp status, and FacebookRedditor skips dinner on first meeting after woman arrives an hour late: 5 etiquettes to follow when on a date6 animals that survive without drinking water and how they do it5 dreamy places in India that resemble European destinationsFrom having no contact with ex-CEO of Astronomer Andy Byron to struggling for a job: 5 big revelations by Kristin Cabot- the Coldplay Kiss Cam scandal womanYour heart after 30: Hidden changes that raise disease risk, and simple lifestyle fixes to protect it early9 must-try Rice desserts from different corners of the world123Hot PicksChina oil tankersMPsfarewellIran war newsGold rate todayIncome Tax CalculatorPublic holidays March 2026Bank Holidays MarchTop TrendingFortnite chapter 7eid al fitr 2026Green Card HoldersPeter ThielQatar missile fireNSA Doval US envoy talksDeve GowdaRajya Sabha MP farewellChina oil tankersCM Devendra Fadnavis
NEW DELHI: The National Building Code (NBC) will be replaced by a National Building Standard (NBS) by April-end, giving states and municipal bodies rights over matters such as development control norms, fire safety and administration. This would be done as land and buildings fall under their jurisdiction.The Cabinet Secretariat has directed the Bureau of Indian Standard (BIS) to complete the task.Experts, who have been involved in the preparation of the latest NBC draft, said matters related to fire safety should be part of the proposed standard and not be tweaked, considering the safety of occupants and people at large. However, they said, changes to some parts of the existing Code are possible, till the NBS is published.People aware of the development said the deregulation cell under Cabinet Secretariat has asked BIS to make “hand books” for some parts of the NBC, including the chapter dealing with fire safety, which states can refer to as best practices.“NBC is voluntary in nature, and hence, we feel that the Code can exist, and states can tweak them. It’s important to retain parts relating to fire safety. We must realise that fire safety engineering is largely missing in our country and if we don’t have a national standard, it’s impact will be visible considering that we lack robust fire safety infrastructure,” said Srinivas Valluri, national president of Fire and Security Association of India (FSAI), who has been a member of the technical committee for NBC of 2016 and 2025.Corroborating this, another member of the technical committee, U S Chhillar said, the national standard can help guide states and municipal bodies which otherwise have less capacity on such matters. “We (technical committee) want to inform the govt about the need for these standards. But govt wants us to simply change the sections as per their instructions,” said Chhillar, director general of the Institution of Fire Engineers.Recently, the Cabinet Secretariat had intervened to withdraw the revised 2025 BIS seismic zoning map standard after the housing and urban affairs ministry flagged increase in cost of Metro Rail projects, technical complexity and lack of stakeholder consultation. There was a directive to BIS to “immediately” withdraw the draft standards, TOI has learnt.People aware about the developments said that the updation of NBC was done after more than two years’ work and just when it was about to be published, the Cabinet Secretariat in June last year wrote to all states, saying that it is not mandatory to follow NBC. This was followed by directives to BIS to make it only a standard document and tweak provisions.
