Hyderabad: The Telangana government on December 23 temporarily held back Government Ordered (GO) 29 which required private junior colleges to obtain a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the fire department.
Their latest decision on the issue exempts colleges for the next two academic years including 2022-23 and 2023-24. It is to be noted that no further extension will be given to the colleges for obtaining the fire NOC.
As per the GO 29 issued by the home department in 2020, all junior colleges which are up to 15 metres in height and existing in mixed occupancy buildings (including shops and colleges) must apply to the Telangana State Disaster Response (TSDR) Fire Services department seeking a fire NOC.
The move by the Telangana government to keep the order in abeyance would benefit over 400 private junior colleges receiving affiliation from the Telangana State Board of Intermediate Education (TSBIE). A fire NOC from the TSDR and Fire Services department is one of the mandatory documents for obtaining affiliation from the board every year.
Most of these private junior colleges operating in mixed occupancy buildings are located in Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medchal districts and a few district towns. Following the reprieve, Telangana Private Junior College Managements Association President, Gouri Satish thanked chief minister K Chandrashekhar Rao (KCR) and education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy, for issuing orders giving an exemption from fire NOC for the next two academic years.
“We thought the government would extend it for this academic year. However, it gave it for two academic years i.e., 2022-23 and 2023-24. With the government issuing fresh orders, the Board has started the process for granting affiliation to 446 private junior colleges,” the chief minister said.
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