Karol Bagh fire: NOC of 30 hotels cancelled

  • | Friday | 15th February, 2019

“We are planning to make some changes in the existing fire safety norms to ensure better fire safety at the hotels and all other buildings. NEW DELHI: The inspection of all hotels in city was ordered by AAP government after a horrific fire at Arpit Palace Hotel in Karol Bagh on Monday killed 17 people. “The fire fighting equipment were installed but were non-operational in 30 of the 45 hotels which were checked by the team. All the hotels should be immediately sealed,” the home minister said.A fire department official said that the inspection team found serious violations of laid down norms in the 30 hotels. Even the fire safety department of the government does not make random inspections to check whether the hotels and other buildings which have been given fire safety certificates are sticking to the norms are violating them.Even after procuring fire safety clearances, hotels in Delhi are seen flouting rules rampantly.

NEW DELHI: The inspection of all hotels in city was ordered by AAP government after a horrific fire at Arpit Palace Hotel in Karol Bagh on Monday killed 17 people. It was found that the ill-fated hotel had taken fire clearance but cops suspected it later made illegal constructions with wood and fibreglass panels, firefighting equipment wasn't working and staff not trained to handle the equipment, electrical systems were not properly fire-checked which are reported to have fanned the fire in the Karol Bagh hotel More hotels may face the same fate as the government has asked the fire department to take the inspection to every part of the city and in the days to come hotels in all other areas of the city will be inspected to check whether they are following the fire safety norms or not.In the wake of the Karol Bagh hotel fire the government is planning to amend its fire safety norms to make them more strict. “We are planning to make some changes in the existing fire safety norms to ensure better fire safety at the hotels and all other buildings. The changes would be made within a week,” home minister Satyendar Jain said.The horrific fire tragedy proved that the hotels in city perhaps have learnt no lesson from the recent incidents of fire in other big cities and unless there is a mishap, no one bothers about the rules. Even the fire safety department of the government does not make random inspections to check whether the hotels and other buildings which have been given fire safety certificates are sticking to the norms are violating them.Even after procuring fire safety clearances, hotels in Delhi are seen flouting rules rampantly. From rooftop restaurants to bars in the basement, most of the owners use commercial space beyond permissible limits in disregard of norms.The government has ordered the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and Delhi Police to immediately seal these hotels whose fire safety certificates have been suspended because without fire safety certificate the functioning of the hotels will be exposing people to disaster. “The municipal corporation has informed us that 13 of the 30 hotels have been sealed. All the hotels should be immediately sealed,” the home minister said.A fire department official said that the inspection team found serious violations of laid down norms in the 30 hotels. “The fire fighting equipment were installed but were non-operational in 30 of the 45 hotels which were checked by the team. The hotels also did not have trained persons to handle the firefighting equipment. These hotels were found to be in violation of the norms against which the fire safety certificates were issued to them,” said an official.Jain said combustible materials were used in the hotels passages which multiplied the danger in case of a fire and exposed people at greater risk. “I have asked the department to undertake regular and random checks at hotels to ensure that they do not violate the fire safety norms,” Jain stated.Pointing out that the owner of the Arpit Palace Hotel has not been arrested till now, Jain said: “Politics seems to be behind the owner of the hotel who probably is a BJP leader.”

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