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State of West Bengal - Section

Section 31 in New Town Kolkata Planning Area (Building) Rules, 2014

31. Fire protection and exit requirements.

-A) Definitions - In this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires, -(a)"exit' means passage, channel or means of egress from any place of occupancy in a building to a place of safety through an escape route which includes a room exit, protected corridor, lobby, enclosed staircase or ramp leading to a final exit,(b)"final exit" means an exit from a building to an open place at ground level,(c)"travel distance" means the distance to be travelled from any point in a building to either vertical or horizontal escape route, or external escape route, or final exit.B) Fire Protection - Every building for residential uses of 15.5 m and above in height, and buildings of other uses and buildings with basement shall be provided with adequate means of exit and all arrangement for protection in case of fire.C) General exit requirements
(1)The following general requirement shall apply to all exits:
(a)exit may be both horizontal and vertical and shall be free from any obstruction,
(b)no building shall be altered so as to reduce the number, width or protection of exits to less than what is required under these rules,
(c)exits shall be clearly visible and routes to reach exit shall be clearly marked,
(d)all exits shall be properly illuminated,
(e)fire fighting equipments shall, where provided along exits, be suitably located and clearly marked so as not to obstruct the exit way and there shall be clear indication about its location from either side of the exit,
(f)alarm devices shall be installed to ensure prompt evacuation through exits,
(g)all exits shall provide continuous means of egress to the exterior of a building or to an exterior open space of the premises leading to a street or means of access,
(h)exits shall be so arranged that they may be reached without passing through another occupied unit.
(2)An exit shall be a door-way of a room, corridor, passage-way to staircase, ramp or a verandah or terrace which has access to the street or to the roof of a building. An exit may also include a horizontal exit leading to an adjoining building at the same level.
(3)Lifts and escalators shall not be considered as exits. However, if the lift lobby and shaft is recommended as per requirement of West Bengal Fire Services Act, 1950 read with West Bengal Fire Services (Fire Prevention and Fire Safety) Rules, 1996 it may be considered as fire escape route.
(4)All basements shall have a minimum of two exits. Ramps to the basement shall also be considered as exits.D) Arrangements of exits -
(1)Exits shall be so located that the travel distance shall not exceed :
(a)22.50 m, in the case of a residential building or an educational building or an institutional building,
(b)30.00 m, in the case of an assembly building or a business building or a mercantile building or an industrial building or a storage building.
(2)For floors with sprinklers which are not part of the requirements for that floor and occupancy, the travel distance in Sub-Rule- (1) may be increased by 50 %, of the distance preserved in clause (a) and (b) of Sub- Rule- (1) of this rule.
(3)The travel distance to an exit from the dead end of a corridor shall not exceed half the distance specified in Sub-Rule- (1), except in an educational building or an assembly building or an institutional building in which case it shall not exceed 6.00 m.
(4)Whenever more than one exit is required for any room space or floor of a non residential building. exits shall be placed as remote from each other as possible and shall be arranged to provide direct access in separate directions from any point in the area served.E) Requirements regarding staircases All buildings referred to in Rule- 31(B) shall be provided with such number of staircases as the Sanctioning Authority may require. Under no circumstances, the number of staircases shall be less than two in the case of a building of more than 20.00 m in height and one of them being on the external face of the building and shall be enclosed type as per requirement of West Bengal Fire Services Act, 1950 read with West Bengal Fire Services (Fire Prevention and Fire Safety) Rules, 1996. In case the staircase or staircases are not facing external surface of the building or not having ventilation shaft, mechanical ventilation shall be provided, if required.F) Minimum width provisions The following provisions for minimum width shall be made :-
Category of Building Height of the Building, (in meter) Width of the Stairway (in meter) No. of Staircase
Residential Above 7.00 1 1
  Above 7.00 and Up to 10.00 1.2 1
  Above 10.00 and Up to 12.50 1.35 1
  Above 12.50 and Up to 15.50 1.35 1
  Above 15.50 and Up to 20.00 1.25 2
  Above 20.00 and Up to 25.50 1.25 2
  Above 25.50 and Up to 40.00 1.25 2
  40.00 and above 1.5 2
However, for residential building not having more than three tenements or 500 Sq.M. per floor (whichever is less) one staircase of width 1.50 m may be permitted upto a building height of 20.00 m. If in any case, the floor area or the number of tenements exceed the above value, the number of staircases should be increased as per the prescribed Table : XVII above,
Category of Building Area per floor (in Sq.M.) Width of the stairway (in meter) Min. No. of staircase (up to 12.50 m ht) Min. No. of staircase (above 12.50 m ht.)
Educational Up to 500 1.5 1 2
Above 500 1.8 2 2
Assembly Up to 500 1.5 1 2
Above 500 2 2 2
Institutional Up to 500 1.5 1 2
Above 500 2 2 2
Business IT ITES Up to 500 1.5 1 2
Above 500 1.5 2 2
Mercantile (retail) Up to 500 1.8 2 2
Above 500 2 2 2
i) Buildings for marriage halls, banquet halls, multipurpose hall etc. shall have at least two staircases having minimum width of 1.50 m for any height and floor area;ii) Buildings for Mercantile (wholesale), Hazardous, Industrial and Storage will be guided by NBCI and/or recommendation of West Bengal Fire Emergency Services and/or Building Committee.Minimum width provision for passage and corridors
Category of passage or corridor Minimum width (in meter)
Passage connecting vertical exit and thetenement or units Not less than the width of each stairway as specified inprevious tables
Passage within an apartment 1.00
Passage giving access to shops in a mercantilebuilding —  
a) shops on one side only 2.00
b) shops on both side 3.00
Passage in a business building 2.50
G) Other requirements. In respect of matters relating to the fire prevention and fire protection, for which provisions have not been made in this chapter, the provisions of the latest edition of the National Building Code of India and latest edition of the National Electrical Code and B.I.S. code shall apply.H) Consultation with the Director of Fire Services before granting permission to erect a building. No permission for the erection, addition to or alteration of, any building other than a residential building of less than fifteen and a half meters in height or a building with basement shall be granted unless the Sanctioning Authority in consultation with the Director of Fire Services of the Government of West Bengal or any officer specially empowered by the Director for this purpose is satisfied about the provisions of means of exits and about the arrangements for protection against fire proposed for the building in terms of West Bengal Fire Services Act, 1950, read with West Bengal Fire Services (Fire Prevention and Fire Safety) Rules, 1996.Chapter-III 32. Structural design.
(1)the structural design shall be in accordance with IS : 1893 - 1984, IS : 13920 - 1993, IS : 13828 - 1993, IS : 13827 - 1993, IS : 13935 - 1993, IS : 4326 - 1993 and IS : 1893 (Part - I) - 2002 given in Annexure -A including the Indian Standards for earthquake protection of buildings;Note : whenever an Indian Standard or National Building Code is referred to, the latest provision in the Standard should be adhered to.
(2)all materials and workmanship shall be of good quality conforming to the accepted standards of the Public Works Department of the Government of West Bengal or Indian Standard Specifications as included in the National Building Code of India.