Exclusive Delhi Commercial Buildings Red Flags Fire Safety Failures

Hotels, restaurants, banquet halls, guest houses, hospitals and nursing homes: 450 commercial buildings in Delhi have been red-flagged for not having the mandatory fire No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) or for violating building by-laws by the Delhi Fire Department.

The action comes weeks after the devastating fire at a Bed & Breakfast establishment in Malviya Nagar claimed 23 lives, including 13 foreign nationals.

According to sources, these buildings were identified during a survey conducted by district-level committees constituted by the Delhi government following the June 3 blaze. The committees were tasked with carrying out a city-wide inspection of all buildings with six storeys (ground plus five floors) or more, including hospitals and nursing homes, to assess compliance with fire safety norms and building bye-laws.

A total of 13 district-level committees and 39 subdivision-level committees were formed for the exercise, and the survey is still underway.

Sources said notices have been served to all 450 establishments by the departments concerned. The Fire Department has also sought structural layout plans from the owners or operators of these buildings.

“If the Fire Department finds that the current layout does not match the plans previously submitted for obtaining the fire NOC, the certificate may be cancelled. A fresh NOC will be issued only after the department concerned certifies that the building complies with all prescribed norms,” a senior Fire Department source said.

“Any approval for revised structures will depend on clearance from the department concerned and compliance with safety regulations,” the source said.

The district-level committees comprises the District Magistrates as chairperson, MCD Deputy Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner of Police, and Divisional Officer, Fire.

These supervise the sub-division-level committee comprising the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (Revenue District) as the chairperson, MCD Assistant Commissioner, and Assistant Commissioner of Police.