Infant deaths in Delhi: Building facade under MCD scanner for bye-law violation

The civic body, after carrying out its first site inspection on Sunday, said the building was constructed in 2001-02.

The building facade at the Baby Care New Born Child Hospital in Vivek Vihar, where six children died in a fire in the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, is under the Municipal Corporation of Delhi’s (MCD) scanner for violations in building bye-laws, a senior corporation official said on Monday.

An MCD official said that owners of the building clearly seem to have covered the balcony and open section of the building with an iron frame and chrome panels. (HT Photo)

The MCD official, from the hospital administration department, requesting anonymity, said that the licence and regulations for nursing homes, as well as storage of oxygen cylinders, fall under the purview of the health department of Delhi government and MCD does not regulate these activities.

The civic body, after carrying out its first site inspection on Sunday, said the building was constructed in 2001-02 and its building plan was sanctioned on August 2, 2000. “The hospital has been in operation since 2015,” MCD said in a statement.

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The civic body has said that the as per the Master Plan of Delhi 2021, nursing homes and hospital activities are allowed under Chapter 15 of the mixed land use regulations in residential areas. “In the ’Delhi Medical Association V/o UOI.’ case, there are directions of the high court of Delhi not to take any coercive action against such activities i.e. nursing/hospital activities,” MCD said.

However, a second senior MCD official, on condition of anonymity, said that the owners of the building clearly seem to have covered the balcony and open section of the building with an iron frame and chrome panels.

“The open areas of a property cannot be covered like this to make an extension of the building,” the second official said.

The official said that nursing homes are permitted in residential areas but safety norms cannot be violated. “Chapter 15.7 of MPD (Master Plan Delhi) defines these safety conditions. We will have to check if there is a completion certificate of the building and necessary staircase passage,” the second official said.