PWD orders annual fire audits of government buildings in Delhi

Delhi's PWD mandates annual fire audits for all maintained buildings, ensuring compliance with safety norms amid recent fire incidents across the city.

The Delhi government’s Public Works Department (PWD) has directed officials to conduct annual fire audits of all buildings maintained by the department and issue safety certificates every year, amid growing focus on fire preparedness following multiple fire incidents reported across the Capital in recent weeks.

PWD instructed all executive engineers across its maintenance zones to ensure that fire audits are completed for every building under their jurisdiction by June 25 each year.

In an order dated May 27, which HT has accessed, PWD instructed all executive engineers across its maintenance zones to ensure that fire audits are completed for every building under their jurisdiction by June 25 each year.

“All the concerned EEs of the concerned zone i.e. East, North, South Zone are hereby directed to conduct a fire audit of each building maintained by them under their jurisdiction and issue a certificate every year on or before 25th June,” the order stated.

The directive said any identified shortcoming must be rectified to adhere to fire safety norms. “In case, any deficiency is observed, the same may kindly be made good under the maintenance works and adhere to all the building provisions as per the National Building Code’s fire safety norms,” it said.

A senior PWD official,who asked not to be identified, said the exercise is part of the Delhi government’s ongoing efforts to strengthen fire safety systems in public infrastructure after a series of fire incidents reported in different parts of the city in recent months.

“The government has decided that fire audits should be conducted regularly, and in a time-bound manner for all buildings under PWD maintenance. The aim is to ensure that fire safety systems are functional and deficiencies, if any, are addressed promptly,” the official said.

Another official said the audits would cover all public buildings maintained by the department, such as government offices, schools, hospitals, court complexes, residential buildings, prisons, and other institutional infrastructure.

“PWD is the nodal maintenance agency for most government buildings in Delhi. The audits will include inspection of firefighting systems, electrical installations, emergency exits, and compliance with prescribed safety standards,” the official said.

Officials said the audits are expected to be carried out annually before the peak summer period, when fire incidents typically rise because of high temperatures and increased electricity loads. The process would involve checking the operational status of fire extinguishers, hydrant systems, alarms, evacuation routes, and electrical systems. In cases where gaps are identified, maintenance divisions would be required to undertake corrective measures before issuing compliance certificates.

The Delhi government issued a notification two days ago allowing private agencies to conduct fire safety audits. Following inspections last month, chief minister Rekha Gupta also issued separate instructions for fire audits of schools.