Parliament Question: Approval of Norms for High Rise Buildings

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3069 TO BE ANSWERED ON AUGUST 06, 2026 APPROVAL OF NORMS FOR HIGH RISE BUILDINGS NO. 3069 SHRI VARUN CHAUDHRY:

Will the Minister of HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS be pleased to state:

(a) whether the Government has taken note of complaints from various parts of the country alleging grant of statutory approvals to high-rise projects despite deficiencies in fire safety and environmental compliance and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has received representation in respect of any housing projects in Sector-50, Gurugram, Haryana, raising similar concerns regarding the grant of Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC), Occupation Certificate and Completion Certificate, if so, the details thereof and the responsibility fixed therein along with the action taken to resolve the issue project-wise and society-wise;

(c) whether the Government has undertaken or proposes to undertake a review of the process followed by the State authorities in granting such approvals in cases where serious safety deficiencies are subsequently noticed and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the details of the corrective measures taken/proposed to be taken to improve transparency, accountability and public safety in the approval process for high-rise projects particularly in sector 50, Gurugram? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HOUSING AND URBAN AFFAIRS (SHRI TOKHAN SAHU)

(a) and (b): ‘Land’ and ‘Colonisation’ are State subjects. Further, as per the Twelfth Schedule of the Constitution of India, urban planning, regulation of land use and construction of buildings are functions of Urban Local Bodies/Urban Development Authorities. Accordingly, approval of building plans, issuance and renewal of Fire No Objection Certificates, grant of Occupation/Completion Certificates, inspection of buildings and enforcement against violations are undertaken by the concerned State Governments, Urban Local Bodies, Development Authorities and Fire Services in accordance with the applicable State Acts, rules, building bye- laws and development control regulations.

…2/--2- Complaints relating to alleged deficiencies in fire safety, environmental compliance or grant of statutory approvals to individual high-rise projects are, therefore, examined and acted upon by the respective statutory authorities. No centralised project-wise data regarding such complaints and approvals is maintained by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.

(c) and (d): The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has issued the Model Building Bye-Laws (MBBL), 2016 for guidance of States/Union Territories

(UTs). The Chapter 11- Fire Protection and Fire Safety Requirements, of the Model Building Bye-Laws contains provisions relating to fire protection and fire-safety requirements and Chapter - 5 Provisions for High Rise Development, provides for Safety of High-rise developments. These provisions are advisory in nature and become legally enforceable upon their adoption and notification by the respective State or local authority.

The norms and standards for fire safety and their implementation are prescribed under the relevant State building bye-laws and development control regulations. Further, Part F - ‘Fire and Life Safety’ of the National Building Construction Standards 2026 (NBCS 2026) published by the Bureau of India Standards contains provisions regarding fire prevention, life safety in relation to fire, and fire protection of buildings; apart from specific occupancy-wise requirements. Also, Part F provides the additional requirements for high-rise buildings with respect to fire and safety particularly with regards to planning, design, execution, maintenance and training.

Further, the MBBL 2016 provides a model framework covering building-plan scrutiny, fire and life safety, structural safety, disaster resilience, environmental safeguards and grant of occupancy-related approvals.

States/UTs have also been encouraged to implement Online Building Permission System (OBPS) for transparent, time-bound and technology- enabled processing of applications, integration of departmental clearances, digital scrutiny of building plans and maintenance of electronic approval records. Under Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), OBPS has been made operational in 3,774 towns including 452 AMRUT cities to facilitate online issuance of construction permits.

However, adoption of the Model Building Bye-Laws, modification of State building regulations, conduct of inspections, periodic fire-safety audits, disclosure of approvals, enforcement against violations and fixation of accountability for officials and project proponents remain within the jurisdiction of the respective State/UT Governments and competent local authorities.

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