Manali hoteliers resent new fire NOC condition, claim norms yet to be notified

Resentment prevails among hoteliers in Manali after the Tourism Department has provisionally renewed hotel registration for six months, a sharp reduction from the previous three-year renewal period that cost a mere Rs 1,250.

The abrupt change, driven by the lack of mandatory fire clearance certificates, has left hotel owners facing an ultimatum to either submit No-objection Certificates (NOC) from the Fire Department within six months or pay Rs 5,000 fine for a three-month extension.

The hoteliers argue that the fire safety norms have not been yet notified for old buildings by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department, making compliance a major feasibility issue for existing structures. “There has been no major fire incident in Manali town for the past three decades,” said local hoteliers Kishan, Harish, Manoj and Kamlesh. “Firefighting measures here are adequate.”

They alleged the move is commercially motivated. “It is aimed at profiting certain business houses dealing in fire equipment. It has little to do with genuine safety,” one hotelier alleged, adding that the policy would encourage “inspector raj” and corruption.

A tourism expert, citing official proceedings from a December 19, 2025 meeting chaired by Devesh Kumar, Principal Secretary (Tourism) to the state government, noted that the Tourism Department was directed to extend the validity of fire NOCs for up to one year or until the time norms for old buildings are officially notified. “Since those norms have not been notified yet, pressuring hoteliers for NOCs is unjustified,” the expert added.

The hoteliers further recalled that past enforcements, such as mandates for sewage treatment plants and incinerators, now largely remain unused. They demanded that fire hydrants and other civic amenities be provided by the municipal council and TCP, given the hefty fees, levies and taxes they have already collected. “The burden of civic amenities should not fall on individual businessmen already reeling under reduced income due to the Covid pandemic and subsequent rain-triggered disasters,” a hospitality unit owner said.

Various associations have approached the state government seeking review of the fire NOC requirement, arguing that full compliance is impractical for old buildings. As the six-month deadline looms, Manali’s hotel industry remains caught between safety mandates and economic survival.