Chhattisgarh Hospital operator booked over suspected forgery of fire safety NOC
Raipur: A private hospital operator in Arang, Chhattisgarh, has been booked for allegedly using a forged fire safety no-objection certificate (NOC) after officials detected discrepancies in the document during an inspection.
According to the news reports, the alleged irregularities came to light when a joint team comprising fire department officials and personnel from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) examined the hospital's fire safety records. The hospital management reportedly produced a photocopy of an NOC bearing the issue date of April 16, 2026. However, scanning the QR code or barcode on the certificate reportedly displayed a date from 2025, raising suspicions about its authenticity.
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The inspection team also identified discrepancies in the details of the officer named in the certificate as having inspected the hospital premises.
The fire department said no officer by that name had been posted in the department. Questions were also raised about the signature and the departmental logo appearing on the certificate. Verification against government records further strengthened suspicions that the document was not genuine.
According to officials, the fire department had inspected the hospital premises on July 2 and subsequently issued a notice regarding the renewal of its fire safety NOC. The document was examined further after concerns emerged over its authenticity.
Following a complaint by a fire department inspector, Arang police registered a case under Section 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police are investigating who prepared the allegedly forged certificate and whether a computer centre or graphics designer was involved in creating the document.
Speaking to TOI, a district fire official said commercial and medical establishments are required to renew their fire NOCs annually. The official also said similar cases had surfaced earlier in Bilaspur and Ambikapur, where arrests were made, describing the Arang case as the first such instance reported in Raipur district.
Fire safety certification is particularly important for hospitals, where patients may have limited mobility and require assistance during an emergency evacuation. Compliance with prescribed fire safety requirements is therefore essential to protect patients, hospital staff and visitors.
The alleged use of a questionable certificate has raised concerns about the verification of mandatory safety documents at healthcare facilities.
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