Safety First: CM Yogi Orders Immediate Fire NOC Crackdown Across All UP Hospitals And Hotels

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered an immediate statewide verification of fire safety clearances at hospitals, medical colleges and hotels, days after a fire incident in Lucknow’s Aliganj area brought public safety compliance back into focus.

The Chief Minister directed officials to check the status of fire no-objection certificates, or fire NOCs, at all government and private medical colleges, medical institutions, district-level women’s and men’s hospitals, and hotels across the state. Institutions without a valid certificate, or those whose certificates are nearing expiry, will be issued notices without delay.

Fire NOC checks ordered across Uttar Pradesh

Adityanath told officials that there would be no compromise on public safety. District magistrates have been asked to hold meetings with the departments concerned and ensure strict compliance with fire safety norms in their respective districts. The directions are significant because hospitals and hotels are high-occupancy buildings where lapses can quickly put lives at risk.

A fire NOC confirms that a building has met prescribed fire prevention and emergency response requirements. These usually include fire exits, alarms, extinguishers, hydrants, electrical safety measures and evacuation systems. In public-facing buildings, regular inspection is critical because crowd movement, electrical load and structural changes can affect safety standards over time.

The instructions came during a review meeting of the State Transformation Commission on Sunday. The meeting covered the progress of several major projects, including expressways, industrial infrastructure, rural livelihood programmes, energy systems, agriculture, data centres and electric vehicle charging facilities.

The Chief Minister told officials that public projects must be completed within fixed timelines and with proper quality standards. He said unnecessary delay in development work would not be acceptable. The message was aimed at both safety enforcement and infrastructure delivery, two areas where district-level monitoring will now be under closer watch.

Expressway land acquisition reviewed

Officials informed the Chief Minister that land acquisition for several proposed link expressways had moved forward, though progress varied from project to project. For the Farrukhabad Link Expressway, 1,135.57 hectares out of the required 1,339.04 hectares have been made available, which is 84.80 percent of the total requirement.

For the Agra-Lucknow-Purvanchal Link Expressway, 315.73 hectares have been made available against a requirement of 643.60 hectares. This works out to 49.05 percent. For the Jhansi Link Expressway, 654.77 hectares have been arranged out of 1,539.19 hectares. For the Jewar Link Expressway, 266.82 hectares have been made available against 895.34 hectares.

Adityanath expressed satisfaction over the pace of land acquisition for the Farrukhabad Link Expressway and asked officials to speed up the tender process for construction work. He said new expressways would become important corridors for Uttar Pradesh’s industrial growth, making timely land availability crucial.

The Chief Minister also directed district magistrates to accelerate land acquisition for the Agra-Lucknow-Purvanchal, Jhansi and Jewar link expressways. The meeting also reviewed the status of the Meerut-Haridwar, Vindhya, Vindhya-Purvanchal and Noida-Jewar Link Expressway projects, including land acquisition progress.

Industrial bylaws, EV charging and data centres discussed

The meeting also reviewed the proposed model building bylaws for industrial development authorities. The Chief Minister directed officials to examine objections received on the proposal, complete the process within 15 days and place the revised draft before the Cabinet.

Progress under the Uttar Pradesh State Rural Livelihood Mission was also reviewed. The Chief Minister asked officials to complete the selection and posting process for vacant positions at the state, district and development block levels in a time-bound manner. The mission is a key part of rural livelihood and self-help group support systems.

Adityanath also underlined the need to expand electric vehicle charging infrastructure in the state. He said the rising number of electric vehicles had made charging stations a necessity. He also noted that the sector offered wide scope for private investment, with private players showing interest.

On digital infrastructure, the Chief Minister asked officials to push data centre projects faster so that Uttar Pradesh can strengthen its position in the sector. Data centres have become a focus area for states seeking investment in cloud services, digital storage, artificial intelligence and enterprise technology infrastructure.

The meeting also reviewed work to remove and separate high-tension electricity lines passing through sewer lines and manholes in the Lucknow Municipal Corporation area. Officials were directed to complete this on priority, given the safety risks involved in electricity lines running through civic utility networks.

During the energy department review, the Chief Minister asked divisional commissioners of Meerut, Agra and Saharanpur to fix feeder-wise accountability for line losses. He also called for special drives and strict action in areas where complaints of power theft have been reported.

Adityanath said honest consumers must receive uninterrupted and quality electricity supply. The latest review has placed district administrations at the centre of enforcement, whether on fire safety clearances, power theft control or land acquisition for major infrastructure projects.