Delhi eateries, banquet halls & hospitals ticking fire bombs

NEW DELHI: The capital doesn’t seem to have learnt any lessons from the massive fire in Mumbai’s Kamala Mills compound that engulfed many recently. Delhi is sitting on a ticking bomb as fire safety norms are openly flouted by various establishments, including restaurants, pubs, hospitals and banquet halls spread across the city.

According to the findings of this newspaper, just 15 to 20 per cent of the total establishments have received clearance from the Fire Department, but continue to operate undeterred violating fire norms blatantly.

Though 80 per cent of restaurants and pubs claim a seating capacity of less than 50 people, but merrily accommodate additional guests. This of theirs claim shields them from getting an NOC from police and fire departments thereby flouting rules and playing with people’s lives.

“More than 80 per cent of the restaurants claim that they have less than 50 seats, but who will check whether there are only 49 people inside?” an official questioned.

Since several restaurants claim to have a seating capacity of less than 50 guests, officials aren’t aware whether they have the mandatory fire exits, staircases and other fire-fighting measures in place in case of a blaze.

A majority of banquet halls also operate without mandatory clearances from the fire department posies a major safety scare considering the footfall they attract. A senior civic official said, there are around 300 banquet halls located in Delhi, but barely 20 per cent of them have an NOC from the fire department. The Delhi Fire Service officers said that any commercial premises having less than 50 seats doesen’t need any fire safety No Objection Certificate (NOC). However, a number of restaurants, pubs and bars  openly flout fire safety norms by illegally increasing the seating capacity.

Fire NOC low on priority

Resto-bars

While Delhi has more than 5,000 eateries, merely 560 have a No Objection Certificate from the Delhi Fire Department

Obtaining a fire safety clearance remains low on priority for the restaurant and pub owners of the national capital. While Delhi has over 5,000 eateries, merely 560 have a NOC from the Delhi Fire department.

On visiting several resto-bars in the city, this reporter found that most of them start functioning even before they get the mandatory clearance from the authorities. Once these establishments submit their documents to the concerned authorities, they start operating, irrespective of any authorised permission.

The Delhi Fire Service officials told that any commercial premises having less than 50 seats does not need any fire safety NOC.

However, a number of restaurants, pubs and restro-bars prominent in Connaught Place, Hauz Khas village and Khan Market flout fire safety norms by illegally increasing the seating capacity to more than 50.

“More than 80 per cent of the restaurants claim that they have less than 50 seats. But who is there to check whether there are only 49 people inside,” an official questioned.
 In the Capital, a total of 560 restaurants, pubs and bars have fire safety NOC thatincludes all the prominent eating hubs Hauz Khas, Khan Market, Connaught Placeand etc.

Sanjiv Mehra President of Khan Market traders association said that, “We have even asked the Indraprastha Gas Limited to lay the PNG gas pipeline in Khan Market for those restaurant who does not have PNG and even told the eateries to not obstruct the staircase.” The Delhi Fire Service will soon start fresh inspection of food joints at the popular marketplaces that have been running without any fire clearance for years, said G.C. Mishra, DFS director.

Few have licence...

Banquet Halls
There are  300 banquet halls located across the capital. Of these, as per records, only 76 have mandatory NOC from the fire department.

Eighty per cent of total banquet halls in the city operate without fire safety measures. The banquet halls, used for marriages and other function, where people congregate in large numbers, absence of NOC poses a great risks to people’s safety and lives.

According to a senior civic official, there were around 300 banquet halls located across the national capital, but a majority of them are running without mandatory health or fire licences.

A senior Delhi Fire Services official said as per the department records, only 76 banquet halls have mandatory NOC regarding fire safety.

Hospitals too play with fire

Only 15 to 20 per cent of the total hospitals in the city have clearance

A fire at a private hospital in East Delhi in December once again brought to the fore the lack of fire safety measures at Delhi hospitals.

A tragedy was averted on December 23 when dozens of patients, their relatives, doctors and other staff,were rescued after a fire broke out around 3:15pm on the second floor of the Metro Hospital and Cancer Institute in Preet Vihar.

Even as the hospital claimed that it followed all norms, it was later reported that the hospital didn’t have clearance or a no objection certificate (NOC) from the city’s fire department and that adequate fire safety measures were not in place.

However, shockingly for the national capital, the hospital is not an exception. According to data provided by the the Fire Department, at present, only 15 to 20 per cent of the total hospitals in the city have clearance. In 2016, in the wake of a hospital blaze in Bhubaneswar where at least 25 people had died, Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain had directed the Fire and PWD to check fire safety arrangements in all hospitals in the city and take necessary steps to avert accidents. He had said that compliance with the NOC conditions should be done on a war footing by all hospitals and that required repair works should be completed soon. However, even after a year, both private and government hospitals in Delhi lack fire safety measures.