Of Delhi’s 1,000 licensed eateries and clubs, only 90 hold a fire safety NOC

The current total number of hotels and clubs in the Capital as of December 2025 could not be ascertained despite repeated queries to the relevant departments of the Delhi government.

Only 52 hotels and 38 clubs out of the roughly 1,000 licensed hotels, clubs and restaurants in Delhi currently hold a no-objection certificate (NOC) for fire safety from the Delhi Fire Services (DFS), officials aware of the matter said on Monday — a gap that fire experts warn leaves hundreds of establishments operating without mandatory safety checks.

Of Delhi’s 1,000 licensed eateries and clubs, only 90 hold a fire safety NOC

Delhi has around 1,000 licensed hospitality establishments, according to 2024 excise department data accessed by HT, the latest available. To be sure, the current total number of hotels and clubs in the Capital as of December 2025 could not be ascertained despite repeated queries to the relevant departments of the Delhi government.

In the aftermath of the fire at a nightclub in Goa’s Aprora that claimed 25 lives, fire safety experts on Monday flagged a serious gap in Delhi’s fire NOC norms -- once the fire department issues an NOC, which is valid for three years, subsequent violations often go unchecked because agencies are not mandated to conduct interim inspections.

Former Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg said NOCs are granted only after detailed inspections, but restaurants, cafés, clubs and hotels often make alterations afterward that remain unchecked for years. “The fire department or other wings that issue NOCs are not mandated to inspect premises unless there is an incident or a complaint. Therefore, violations often go unchecked,” he said.

Garg said a restaurant, operating in a space less than 90 metres in Delhi, is not required to obtain fire safety certificates to run the business. “Restaurants operating in a space above 90 metres and less than 270 metres must have two staircases, each 1.5 metres wide. Establishments running in spaces above 270 metres need to have at least one staircase of a width no less than 2 metres while the other should not be less than 1.5 metres,” said Garg.

Garg said there have been instances where restaurant operators made modifications to their premises for better decor and more seating, thus compromising safety measures. Such violations usually go unchecked in the absence of regular checking by agencies concerned, he said.

The former fire director emphasised that the government should create a mechanism through which violations of rules by restaurant or nightclub operators can be checked regularly either through surprise raids or periodic inspections.

“There can either be an independent agency that can regularly visit such business establishments and check if all rules and regulations were being followed. Getting live feed of CCTV cameras of the restaurants and clubs for real-time monitoring is also a good option,” added Garg.