HYDRAA detects fake fire NOCs at Hyderabad colleges
HYDERABAD: More than 100 private junior colleges secured affiliation from the Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (TGBIE) for the 2025-26 academic year by submitting fake fire no-objection certificates (NOCs), according to officials.
The irregularities came to light after Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Protection Agency (HYDRAA) officials recently detected the forged documents and alerted the Intermediate Board. The board has since withheld affiliation for the colleges for the current academic year.
All the colleges concerned are understood to be within Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) limits.
Allegations have also surfaced that the practice had continued for several years with the knowledge of some District Intermediate Education Officers (DIEOs) and officials in the Intermediate Board.
HYDRAA scrutiny exposes more than 100 fake certificates
Private junior colleges are required to obtain affiliation from the Intermediate Board every year. For this, they must secure NOCs from departments concerned with traffic, sanitation and fire safety, among others, and upload them on the board’s website.
The fire NOC is a key document in the affiliation process.
Until the 2024-25 academic year, the fire wing of GHMC issued these certificates in Hyderabad, while fire department officials issued them in the districts. After the GHMC fire wing was merged with HYDRAA, the agency began issuing the certificates in Hyderabad from the previous academic year.
HYDRAA subsequently received complaints about fake NOCs. The Intermediate Board also sent some NOCs to HYDRAA for verification, following which officials found that more than 100 were fake.
Apart from these colleges, affiliation for more than 30 colleges for the 2026-27 academic year has been withheld. Another 200 colleges have not been granted permission for various reasons, leaving the status of more than 300 colleges uncertain.
Agencies allegedly charge ₹ 6 lakh per certificate
Some agencies are allegedly operating as intermediaries to obtain fire NOCs for colleges and charging up to ₹ 6 lakh for each certificate.
Under the rules, a college building below 15 metres in height does not require a fire NOC if the necessary firefighting equipment and safety measures are in place. Buildings exceeding 15 metres require certification with the approval of the director-general of the fire services department.
Colleges operating from commercial or residential complexes, categorised as mixed occupancy buildings, require a fire NOC irrespective of the building’s height.
Against this backdrop, some intermediaries are suspected of forging HYDRAA officials’ signatures and arranging fake NOCs for colleges.
Officials accused of facilitating fake NOC racket
Allegations have surfaced that the racket had been operating for five to six years with the knowledge of some Intermediate Board officials. It is also alleged that officials were paid up to ₹ 2 lakh.
One DIEO allegedly colluded with an intermediary to create as many as 38 fake NOCs. As the same official was responsible for conducting inspections, the certificates were allegedly presented to board officials as genuine, enabling the colleges to secure affiliation last year.
Intermediate Board secretary Abhilasha Abhinav confirmed that more than 100 colleges had submitted fake fire NOCs.
“More than 100 colleges did submit fake fire NOCs. HYDRAA officials found that all of them had been forged. They say a syndicate is operating behind this. HYDRAA will identify those involved and take action,” Abhinav said.
“We will grant permission only if fresh NOCs are submitted. We have also imposed fines ranging from ₹ 1 lakh to ₹ 10 lakh on colleges that failed to comply with the rules,” she added.
