Kolkata: Salt Lake Sector V’s SDF Building, which houses around 150 IT and ITeS companies with over 1,000 people working altogether, has been awaiting a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department since 2012. The oldest building in Sector V also lacks a lift safety clearance certificate from the authorities.“The SDF Building’s NOC from the fire department has been pending since 2012. The fire department officials made visits to the building from time to time and instructed various things, which we have complied with. We have received recommendations from the department, but the NOC is still under process,” an official said.SDF Building has all sorts of firefighting arrangements, he claimed. “Fire hydrants, fire sprinklers, fire detection and alarm systems have been placed in the building, and we have complied with all the fire safety norms. The SDF Building is completely protected from fire,” the official added.The six-storey building, owned by Webel, has four lifts, which are operating without a safety clearance certificate.“The building’s lift safety clearance certificate has also been pending from the PWD electrical since 2012. But everything is in process, and we hope to get the lift safety clearance certificate very soon,” another official said.On being contacted, state IT secretary Shubhanjan Das said, “Please talk with Webel.”Webel MD Nitu Shukla did not take a call from TOI. She did not respond to a WhatsApp message as well.State IT minister Kalyan Chakraborti also did not take a call from TOI and did not respond to a WhatsApp message.An owner of an electronics hardware firm that has been operating from leased premises in SDF Building since 1990 said he had heard that the building did not have a fire NOC. “However, the building management has installed firefighting systems, including sprinklers,” he said.“We will demand that the authorities ensure compliance with all fire safety norms and obtain a fire NOC immediately to ensure business continuity not only for the operating units but also for the organisations for whom they are rendering the services,” said the owner of an IT firm operating from SDF Building.In Jan 2019, a fire broke out on the second floor in the eastern wing of SDF Building. The fire alarm had failed to go off, and all the 500-odd people working at that time were hurriedly evacuated before anyone was harmed.SDF Building was set up in 1988 to promote electronics industries in the state. But before it could take off, the world of electronics was overtaken by information technology. The building turned into an incubation centre for budding IT firms. Currently, around 150 IT and ITeS companies have taken space in SDF Building on rent or a long-term lease with more than 1,000 employees working altogether.
