LG orders compliance check at all hotels

New Delhi: Hours after a devastating blaze tore through a hotel in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar area on Wednesday, killing at least 21 people, Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu ordered a month-long drive to check fire safety compliance at all hotels, nursing homes, coaching institutes, restaurants and other vulnerable commercial establishments, officials said. Sandhu chaired a meeting with the concerned departments and directed the officials to commence the drive from June 4 to check strict compliance with fire safety norms, they said. “All hotels, lodges, inns, nursing homes, coaching institutes, restaurants and other vulnerable commercial establishments will be covered in the drive. All rooms in hotels, lodges and inns exceeding the permitted limit are to be closed,” an official said.

At the meeting, the land-owning agencies, Delhi Fire Service and Delhi Police were directed to conduct an accessibility survey to identify the bottlenecks and chokepoints obstructing fire tenders from reaching any area in a colony, etc. “The identified choke-points should be cleared wherever feasible and alternate fire-fighting arrangements be made at other places,” the official said. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Delhi Police and the tourism department have been directed to jointly call meetings of all hotel associations area-wise and communicate enforcement of fire norms and conditions of building licences.

According to officials, Sandhu also gave directions for sealing and legal action against the defaulter premises. “The defaulter commercial buildings and RWAs will also be identified through public feedback mechanisms by establishing a dedicated helpline and email within a week,” the official said. The government will also disseminate the existing norms to all commercial buildings and resident welfare associations (RWAs) in digital form.

“Premise owners to start checking their preparedness according to these and improve compliance. All commercial buildings and RWAs to check their fire safety equipment, tanks, water supply systems and ensure that they have complied with the norms,” the official said. Sandhu also ordered a magisterial probe into the Malviya Nagar incident, along with identification of bodies and assistance in cremation and burial activities. (PTI)