Hyderabad: Telangana has relaxed fire safety norms for existing schools and junior colleges, allowing additional staircases narrower than the previously mandated 1.5 metres, with the width to be determined based on available space.
The relaxations were announced by the Telangana fire, disaster response, emergency and civil defence department on Wednesday as part of revised fire safety guidelines for existing educational institutions.
Under the revised norms, buildings below nine metres in height with a floor area exceeding 500 square metres on any floor will require a second staircase, while buildings above nine metres in height must have a second staircase irrespective of floor area. The guidelines also mandate fire extinguishers for every 200 square metres, along with fire alarms, hose reels and overhead water tanks, depending on building height. The new rules will apply to all occupancy NOC applications submitted from Nov 10.
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