Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government will soon appoint a third-party agency to carry out fire safety assessments and issue fire safety certificates for multi-storeyed buildings and other infrastructure across the State, informed Sudhanshu Sarangi, Director General, Fire Services, on Saturday.

The agency will be responsible for inspecting high-rise buildings, shopping malls, and hospitals to ensure compliance with prescribed fire safety standards.

Sarangi clarified in cases where approval has already been granted by State Government authorities, the third-party agency will conduct a re-examination of the structure.

“The third-party agency will provide updates to the Fire Services Department every six months regarding the fire safety status of the buildings,” Sarangi added.

Additionally, buildings constructed before 2017 will also be subject to inspection by the agency. Following their evaluation, the Fire Services Department will further review the fire safety measures of such structures to ensure compliance with current regulations.