After June First Week Drive Lda To Re Inspect 81 Buildings Sealing Likely Over Fire Safety Lapses

The Lucknow Development Authority (LDA) will begin re-inspecting 81 hotels, nursing homes, guest houses, commercial complexes and other establishments found violating fire safety and building norms during a citywide inspection drive in the first week of June. Officials said properties that fail to rectify the identified deficiencies will face sealing and legal action.

Of the 307 commercial and public buildings inspected by LDA teams during the first week of June, 81 were found violating fire safety and building norms and were subsequently served notices. The inspections, launched on the directions of LDA vice-chairman Prathamesh Kumar following a series of fatal fire incidents, found deviations ranging from unauthorised structural alterations to deficiencies in mandatory fire safety measures.

The re-verification exercise marks the next phase of the LDA’s citywide fire safety drive, shifting its focus from issuing notices and conducting awareness workshops to enforcing compliance.

According to LDA officials, the authority organised workshops with owners of hotels, guest houses, nursing homes and commercial buildings after the inspections, explaining fire safety norms and directing them to rectify violations within the stipulated period.

“The notices clearly mentioned the deficiencies that needed to be removed. Teams will revisit every establishment, and if violations persist, action will be taken as per law,” an LDA zonal officer said.

Since June 24, the LDA has intensified its enforcement drive, sealing 126 commercial establishments in two days and serving notices to dozens of property owners found violating approved building plans and safety regulations.

Data from the earlier inspections showed that Zone-6 recorded the highest number of violations, with 29 notices issued after inspections of 97 establishments. Zone-1 followed with 21 notices, while Zone-4 recorded 11 notices. Zones 2, 3, 5 and 7 accounted for the remaining notices.

Officials said the re-inspection drive is intended to ensure commercial establishments do not treat notices as a mere formality. “The objective is not just to issue notices but to ensure actual compliance so that another fire tragedy can be prevented,” an official said.

The LDA maintained that while it approves building plans, the fire department is responsible for issuing fire safety no objection certificates (NOCs), making compliance with both structural and fire safety norms mandatory for commercial establishments.

The intensified verification drive comes days after the LDA expanded its enforcement campaign following the Aliganj fire tragedy on June 22, in which 15 people were killed and nine others were injured.