The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has planned a new standard operating procedure (SOP) for imposing fire service charges on each building that would be established after June 2021.
In May, BMC commissioner Iqbal Chahal approved the recovery of the fire service fee, calculated at Rs 10 per sq m for every building. The annual charge is 1% per year of the fire service fee amount.
As per the Mumbai Fire Brigade circular, the fire service fees and annual charges recovered under the Maharashtra Fire Prevention and Life Safety Measures Act, 2006.
The circular mentioned that it is necessary to recover the fees according to the terms of the Act from March 3, 2014, for every building constructed after December 6, 2008.
Furthermore, the circular added that the deputy chief fire officer concerned, including the help of assistant divisional fire officers and divisional fire officers, will find out data allowances granted to buildings from March 3, 2014, to May 14, 2015, where BMC is the planning authority, and from March 3, 2014, to June 6, 2021, buildings where Mhada, MMRDA, SRA, and MbPT are the planning authorities.
Information data of buildings that came up between May 15, 2015, and June 6, 2021, would be made available by the Chief Engineer (development plan), levy of fire service fees and annual fees.
The introduction of these two fees was to raise an internal fire security fund to upgrade services.
A senior civic official claimed that while 50% of the money received under this head is supposed to be given to the state government to strengthen fire services in other parts of the state, the remaining 50% is for BMC use in Mumbai, for establishing better fire safety and firefighting infrastructures.
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