Panaji: The complex loops that entrepreneurs have to jump through to obtain No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the manufacturing units has led to an estimated 80-90% of industrial units functioning without clearances from the directorate of fire and emergency services.Flagging this concern, Goa State Industries Association (GSIA) president Pradip da Costa called for the creation of a consultative committee involving the fire department, the Goa Industrial Development Corporation (GIDC) and factories and boilers department to simplify the certification process.Costa said that the ambiguity over compliance with the National Building Code has left MSMEs, particularly the older industrial units in the dark, with no option but to continue functioning without meeting the statutory guidelines.He said that the high rate of non-compliance did not stem from indifference on the part of industry. “It is not that people are not bothered about fire or they’re not interested in doing it. The issue is the complexity of the process put in by the fire department in controlling the whole certification process,” the GSIA president said.Costa said the number of units lacking fire NOCs had come to light through a survey of industrial estates initiated by the GIDC following the fire at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora, in Dec 2025, that killed 25 people.Costa, on behalf of GSIA, has proposed that a core committee, including industry representation, evaluate each application on a case-by-case basis to determine appropriate fire safety requirements.“Let us evaluate what kind of fire system industrial units should put in place, whether the central fire system for the industrial estate is OK, whether they can do with just fire extinguishers… the number of fire extinguishers depending on how hazardous the unit is. Or they have to put in whatever is recommended by the fire department?” the GSIA president said.He said that the fire department continues to follow the National Building Code, and if Goan industrial units want to comply with the norms, they would have to make significant investment and use water in order to comply and it is increasingly difficult to meet given the state’s existing water constraints.“We don’t want another tragedy. At the same time, let us look at how to course-correct,” Costa said.
