Delhi LG orders drive to check fire safety compliance

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. All rooms in hotels, lodges and inns exceeding the permitted limit 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 chokepoints should be cleared wherever feasible and alternate fire-fighting arrangements be made at other places," the official said.

The fire ripped through a bed and breakfast hotel allegedly operating without a fire NOC in a congested bylane in south Delhi's Malviya Nagar, killing at least 21 people, including 11 foreigners whose relatives were being treated in hospitals nearby.

The fire at the Flourish Stay B&B in Hauz Rani in Malviya Nagar started around 8.30 am and quickly spread through the five-floor narrow building that had only one entry-exit point, permanently sealed windows and a sensor-operated main door, officials said.

At least 58 people were rescued and rushed to hospitals where 21 were declared dead, including 10 Indians, they said.  -- PTI