Surgical block of Kottayam Medical College lacks mandatory fire NOC

Kottayam: The new surgical block at the Government Medical College Hospital here is operating without a mandatory Fire Safety No Objection Certificate (NOC).

The construction firm has reportedly been presenting its initial construction-stage permit as clearance; however, statutory regulations require obtaining a final NOC upon completion of the building. Officials from the Fire and Rescue Services Department confirmed that no such clearance has been issued and noted that the building’s current fire safety installations have not yet been inspected.

Department sources revealed that an earlier application submitted for the completion NOC was rejected and returned to the contractor due to significant discrepancies and deficiencies.

A Fire NOC is also a non-negotiable prerequisite for obtaining an Occupancy Certificate, casting serious doubt on the validity of the occupancy certificate the firm claims to hold. Fire authorities themselves questioned how an Occupancy Certificate could have been procured without fire safety clearance.

Adding to the irregularities, the certificate lists the building number as 611 in Ward 10 (as per the 2025 ward delimitation) and 475/C in Ward 9 (under the 2013 delimitation). However, local panchayat authorities clarified that, according to official records, this number actually belongs to a building that was completed two years ago.

Following an emergency at the old surgical block on July 3, 2025, wards were hastily relocated to the new block. Under the Kerala Panchayat Building Rules, 2019, and the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act, 2005, obtaining a partial occupancy certificate is legally required even for partial or phased use of a structure.

Officials reiterated that under Rule 20 of the Kerala Panchayat Building Rules, 2019, the surgical block is classified under Group C (Medical/Hospital occupancy), making a Fire Safety NOC strictly mandatory before an official building number can be assigned.