Bengaluru's Kendriya Vihar apartment gets notice over renewal of NOC
This time, the Fire and Emergency Services Department has written to the Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (BESCOM), requesting a power disconnection due to issues related to the renewal of the No Objection Certificate (NOC). The department has also given one week to comply with the notice to get a renewal.
However, the apartment residents' association say a proposal was sent in February to the department. It is alleged that even during the construction stage, no permission or clearance certificate was sought from the department by the association.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
08-08-2025
- The Hindu
Industrial accidents, the human cost of indifference
After spending 37 years in India's oil and energy sector, this writer has walked through the innards of factories, refineries, and chemical plants across the country. This writer has seen, up close, the tragic aftermath of industrial accidents — not as distant events, but as raw human tragedies. These are not acts of fate. They are the result of choices — bad ones made by individuals, institutions, and systems that fail to care. We have seen it again, recently — as explosions at Sigachi Industries in Telangana, and as a firecracker unit disaster in Tamil Nadu. They are not aberrations. They are the symptoms of a deeper, ongoing national crisis. A universe is shattered every time In the last five years, at least 6,500 workers have lost their lives in India's factories, construction sites, and mines, according to government data compiled by the Labour Ministry and several Right to Information-based reports. This means nearly three fatalities every day in peacetime, in a growing economy, in the 21st century. In Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu alone, over 200 fatalities have occurred in major industrial mishaps over the past decade. But the true toll — especially from the unregistered or informal sector units may be much higher and rarely makes news. Each of these cases is not just a data point. It is about a breadwinner gone, a child orphaned, and a household thrust into trauma and penury. This writer has witnessed this — an empty seat in a refinery canteen after a fatality, families pacing outside the plant gates, waiting for news they know will break them. A study in 2022 by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found that India had had over 130 major chemical accidents in just a 30-month window post-2020, with 218 fatalities and 300-plus injuries. Most of these occurred in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which often operate under regulatory radar. What makes these deaths even more inexcusable is how elementary and avoidable their causes are: no fire No-Objection Certificate (NOC) — factories running without even the basic No-Objection Certificate from the Fire Department; no firefighting systems — alarms, sensors, extinguishers missing or dysfunctional; no permit-to-work system — high-risk jobs undertaken casually, with no formal hazard identification or job safety analysis; no training — especially for migrant and contract workers who often speak different languages and oblivious to the signage or safety protocols; no fire exits — or exits locked, blocked, or hidden under storage materials; no accountability — audits, when conducted, are often tick the box exercises. Convictions for safety lapses are rare, and penalties are negligible. Not a core value Even in large corporates, the focus on operational excellence often overshadows basic safety culture. Globally, countries such as Germany and Japan have embedded safety deeply into industrial design and workplace culture. In contrast, India still treats safety as a compliance hurdle rather than a core value. While the spotlight is on Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, let us not pretend that other States fare better. Gujarat, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh have their own grim records. In fact, Gujarat witnessed over 60 major industrial fires and gas leaks in just a single year (2021), according to media and State records. According to the Directorate General Factory Advice Service and Labour Institutes (DGFASLI), India records one serious industrial accident every two days in registered factories. What are unregistered units? Nobody truly knows. The pattern is now familiar to the point of fatigue: tragedy, outrage, compensation, committee and then silence. The root cause remains untouched. The next accident is just waiting to happen. What keeps this cycle alive is national indifference — the silence of the public, the inertia of regulators, and the cost-cutting impulse of companies that treat safety as overhead, and not obligation. Workers, especially those on contract, are seen as disposable. There is also a deeply troubling class bias. Would a similar safety lapse at a high-rise corporate headquarters or in a software park go similarly unnoticed? The harsh truth is that these lives are undervalued because of who they are — migrant workers, contract labourers, and the economically voiceless. The phrase 'act of god' There is a phrase that we often hear, which is 'act of God.' It sounds biblical, a way to distance ourselves from culpability. But these disasters are not divine punishment. They are man-made. A National Geographic documentary once explored this very idea showing how industrial accidents across the world stem not from chance, but from negligence and failed systems. Countries such as South Korea and Singapore now have corporate manslaughter laws, holding senior executives criminally accountable for gross safety failures. India needs to begin that conversation. This is not just a call for regulatory reform or better audits. It is a call for collective conscience. As citizens, as industry leaders, as media, as policymakers we need to say, 'We care'. We must not only hold companies to account but also strengthen our labour safety boards, digitise risk reporting, and ensure whistle-blower protection. And for every worker who risks life and limb to keep our industries running, we must affirm this truth: industrial safety is not a favour, it is a right. The question is not whether we have the means to prevent these tragedies. We do. The only question is this: do we care enough to act? Or will we, through silence and resignation, keep proving that unspoken indictment true? Who cares? Shrikant Madhav Vaidya is former Chairman of Indian Oil Corporation Ltd.
Hindustan Times
07-08-2025
- Hindustan Times
Lack of OC at Willingdon View: 27 residents of Tardeo highrise get 3 weeks to vacate illegally occupied flats: HC
MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted three weeks' time to 27 families residing on the upper 18 floors of a highrise in Tardeo to vacate their flats, which lack an Occupancy Certificate (OC). The court said that if they fail to comply, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) must evict the residents and seal the premises. Mumbai, India. July 02, 2025: View of Willingdon Heights at Tardeo area in south Mumbai. Mumbai, India. July 02, 2025. (Photo by Raju Shinde/ HT Photo) (Raju Shinde) The direction comes five days after the Supreme Court refused to stay the High Court's earlier eviction order, calling it 'very well considered, bold and lucid'. The apex court also allowed the Willingdon View Co-operative Housing Society, which owns the building, to approach the High Court for more time to vacate. The High Court bench of justice GS Kulkarni and justice Arif Doctor made it clear on Wednesday that the extension was being granted purely on humanitarian grounds and warned that no further leniency would be shown. The petition was originally filed by a resident, Sunil Jhaveri, who flagged illegal construction and structural changes in the 34-storey building. While the lower 16 floors have a partial OC, the top 18 floors were built without one and the entire structure lacks a fire department No Objection Certificate (NOC), making occupation of the upper floors illegal. The building has been partially occupied since 2008. On July 15, the High Court ordered eviction of the upper-floor occupants, prompting the society to approach the Supreme Court. On August 1, the top court upheld the High Court's order, with justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan remarking, 'At the end of the day, the rule of law must prevail.' They also praised the High Court's 'courage and conviction' in dealing with unauthorised constructions. Following this, the housing society returned to the High Court seeking four weeks' time to vacate. Its counsel argued that the families needed time to find alternative accommodation nearby, especially as some children were enrolled in schools in the area. The High Court agreed to extend the deadline by three weeks, but stressed that this was a 'mercy plea' and warned that no further extensions would be granted. 'We permit the residents to occupy the respective flats for a period of three more weeks at their own risk and consequence in the event of any untoward incident,' the court stated. It also directed the society to file an undertaking within two days, and ordered the BMC to take immediate action — including eviction and sealing of the flats — if the occupants failed to vacate within the given timeframe.
Time of India
03-08-2025
- Time of India
1,855 trees cut without permission in Mohali: DFO to NGT
Mohali: The district forest officer (DFO) has informed the National Green Tribunal (NGT) that 1,855 trees were cut in Mohali area without mandatory permission. He informed that this happened outside the jurisdiction of the forest department and the land in question was not classified as forest land. In a written reply submitted to the NGT, DFO Kanwar Deep Singh clarified that the land where the felling occurred falls under a non-forest category, and thus, the forest department had no authority to regulate or prevent cutting of trees on it. "The forest department does not have jurisdiction over the said land since it is not a forest area," stated the DFO. The issue came to light in the wake of a petition filed by the Environment Protection Society, through its president, Harbhajan Singh Minhas and Save My Trees Foundation coordinator, Daljit Singh. The complaint raised serious environmental concerns over large-scale felling of trees in the district. According to the DFO's report, although the department was asked to assess the trees on non-forest land, permission for felling of trees was not granted. "It was clearly mentioned in our correspondence that the assessment does not constitute special permission or a No Objection Certificate (NoC). As per procedure, permission must be obtained from the competent authority of the respective department," the reply stated. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo The forest officer assessed the reserve value of the felled trees and 21 poles at around Rs 69 lakh. He proposed that this amount may be imposed as environmental compensation under the Environmental Protection Act, 1986. However, he noted that enforcement of environmental compensation lies within the purview of the Punjab State Pollution Control Board or the department of environment, not the forest department. "As provisions related to environmental compensation fall under the Environment Protection Act, the agency concerned may be directed to take necessary steps," the DFO stated. In a strong recommendation for environmental restoration, the forest department has suggested planting 10 times the number of saplings in place of the cut trees. "To ensure environmental protection and prevent pollution, we advise that 18,550 tree saplings be planted. These can be procured from forest department nurseries," said the DFO. The matter now rests with the NGT and environmental authorities, with further directions awaited on compensatory measures and accountability of agencies involved in the unauthorised tree felling. MSID:: 123077325 413 | Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
