Delhi's move to relax certification norms under scanner after hotel blaze kills 21
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Delhi's move to relax certification norms under scanner after hotel blaze kills 21")
Police personnel at the site where a fire broke out in a restaurant at Malviya Nagar Photograph: (ANI)
The deadly Hauz Rani hotel fire that killed 21 people has raised concerns over fire safety enforcement, ignored Delhi High Court directions, and the effectiveness of Delhi's amended fire safety rules.
A devastating fire at the Hauz Rani locality of Delhi has left at least 21 dead and more than 40 rescued. According to officials, among the 21 were several foreign nationals, primarily from Central Asian and African countries, who were seeking budget accommodations. The Flourish Stay B&B was found to have been operating without a Fire No Objection Certificate (NOC), a mandatory requirement for commercial establishments. Furthermore, the hotel was flouting many other rules; it was licensed for only 6 rooms but was running 25. The police have arrested the owner, Lavkesh Bajaj, of the Flourish Stay B&B, while the hotel manager, Jai Mishra, is currently absconding.
The Delhi High Court order ignored
Nearly five months before the fire, the Delhi High Court, in response to a Public Interest Litigation, had directed city authorities to urgently address concerns over inadequate fire safety measures in hotels, restaurants and other hospitality establishments across the capital. The petitioner Arpit Bhargava, has said that the order asked to formulate a safety action plan to prevent fire-related tragedies. The PIL relied on a newspaper report to state that for about 1,000 licensed hospitality establishments in Delhi, only 52 hotels and clubs held a no-objection certificate from the Delhi Fire Service. The PIL also noted that the NOC given to an establishment is valid only for three years; any violation after that period often goes unchecked due to a lapse in proper oversight. The PIL was filed following the nightclub fire in Goa, requesting tighter regulatory oversight in Delhi, as many establishments were in flagrant violation of the safety protocols.
"There has been no decision whatsoever despite clear directions from the court to prepare an action plan. I had even sent reminders, which were not taken into consideration. Complete apathy," Bhargava, a practising lawyer, told PTI.
Delhi government's new Delhi Fire Service Amendment Rules, 2025
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The New Delhi Fire Service Amendment Rules, 2025, relax the fire safety framework, under which building owners can obtain fire clearances through a third-party private fire auditor from a list available on the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) portal. The DFS will continue oversight through random checks, with 5 per cent of the certificates issued being subjected to verification by the DFS. The Delhi Government also mandated automated monitoring by the Automated Continuous Monitoring System to monitor both active and passive safety measures, identify equipment failures or maintenance issues, before critical emergencies. However, there were no major changes in the fire safety rule. Any residential building with five storeys or more than 15 metres high, hotels, and guest houses have to obtain fire safety certificates.
The major changes were made in the backdrop of 20 fires across the capital, which killed 89 people in the last five months. Experts suggest that those changes were made in view of ease of business and boosting tourism. These new amendments, particularly the third-party certification likely to face further scrutiny in light of the incident, and whether they can effectively prevent similar incidents.
