PWD blacklists vendor over supply of unsafe fire safety doors to hospitals

The hospitals in question are located at Sarita Vihar, Sultan Puri, Shalimar Bagh, Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Guru Teg Bahadur and Raghubir Nagar. The PWD noted that ICU areas require stringent compliance due to high-risk environments and emergency response requirements.

New Delhi

The supply has been banned for two years (Representative photo)

The Public Works Department (PWD) has blacklisted a private vendor for two years for supplying substandard metal fire-resistant doors for intensive care units (ICUs) at six Delhi government hospitals, officials aware of the matter said, after tests confirmed that the material used in the doors failed to meet mandatory safety standards.

According to the letter, the material violated provisions contained in IS 3614:2021 and other safety standards, which govern the quality and fire resistance capability of metal doors installed at critical healthcare facilities.

“The batch verification stickers had been removed from the installed fire doors across the hospitals. This indicates an intentional act to defraud and mislead the department. Thus, the supply of non-compliant products is not only unethical but also unlawful,” the letter read.

The hospitals in question are located at Sarita Vihar, Sultan Puri, Shalimar Bagh, Chacha Nehru Bal Chikitsalaya, Guru Teg Bahadur and Raghubir Nagar. The PWD noted that ICU areas require stringent compliance due to high-risk environments and emergency response requirements.

On September 3, the department issued a show-cause notice to the vendor. On September 30, the vendor claimed it had supplied the material as per the contractor’s purchase order. However, the PWD cited the laboratory tests, which found the material to be non-insulated and lacking required fire-safety performance.

“This mismatch in test reports and actual supplied material seems to be a deliberate attempt to play with the department… It is found that the material supplied by you for ICU hospitals was done with intent to defraud and wilfully mislead the department and public at large thereby compromising with the public life safety in critical hospital environments,” the PWD letter read.

Citing the seriousness of the violations, the order listed four grounds behind the decision, including supply of unsafe fire doors, removal of batch verification stickers, fraudulent misrepresentation through misleading documents and endangering patients, doctors, and staff in critical care areas. The firm has now been barred from participating in any works, tenders or supplies in PWD or any other department under the Delhi government for a minimum period of two years.