Summary:
AdvertisingThe committee, which is investigating the lapses that led to the blaze, held a meeting with North civic body officials on Thursday. Two days after a fire at Hotel Arpit Palace in Karol Bagh left 17 dead, the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee found that agencies could have taken action against the hotel for violation of norms despite the premises falling under the purview of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act. As per municipal rules, a guesthouse gets a licence only to operate a kitchen on the ground floor, while the terrace or basement cannot be used commercially. This means local authorities cannot act against encroachment or unauthorised development. North MCD Mayor Adesh Gupta and commissioner Varsha Joshi had earlier said that the hotel — which came up in 1993 — was an “unauthorised construction” and was “booked” in 1993-1994, but it continued operations and enjoyed immunity once the Act came into effect in 2006..