Safety challenges in mixed land use: Buildings back in spotlight

A fire in Delhi's Palam Colony killed nine family members, highlighting safety issues in mixed-use areas where infrastructure struggles to keep up.

The fatal fire in southwest Delhi’s Palam Colony on Wednesday, which claimed the lives of nine members of a family, has again brought into focus the safety challenges inherent in the Capital’s mixed land use (MLU) areas – designated zones where residential buildings legally host commercial activities, but where infrastructure often fails to keep pace with the resulting density and hazards.

A view of the building gutted by fire in Palam (Hindustan Times)

The tragedy occurred in a multistorey residential-cum-commercial building in Ram Chowk, an area notified for MLU under Delhi’s Master Plan 2021. While the buildingitself met required provisions, according to officials working on the investigation, the surrounding lane presented classic rescue challenges typical of MLU streets across the city: vehicles parked on both sides, a dense mesh of overhead electricity and telecom cables, and commercial cladding on building facades that complicated firefighting efforts.

Officials said the dense network of low-hanging cables in front of the house where the fire broke out significantly hindered rescuers. Locals noted the market there is several decades old and houses over 1,000 shops, many operating from ground floors or basements of residential buildings where a majority of them don’t require fire no objection certificates (NOC) – a senior fire officials told HT that the building where the fire broke out did not require one as it was under under 15 metres per floor.

MLU provisions were introduced in the Delhi Master Plan 2021 in response to the Supreme Court monitoring committee’s sealing drive of 2006-07, offering relief to commercial establishments operating in residential areas. However, citizen groups, experts and residents in such areas have repeatedly argued that these provisions have led to a deterioration in quality of life and increased safety risks.

On Thursday, HT found that buildings in the area lack balconies and have limited ventilation. Decorative hoardings and illuminated boards cover major sections of shop exteriors, posing additional fire risks. On Palam Village Road, which leads to the market, vehicles parked on both sides leave little space for commuters – let alone large emergency vehicles – a factor that became a key hurdle during Wednesday’s rescue operations.

Rajiv Kakria, convener of the Save Our City campaign, said citizen groups have argued for 20 years that MLU is the root cause of multiple urban crises. “There are so many streets like this area. From fire hazard, traffic congestion, environmental pollution to general deterioration in quality of life, mixed land use has led to breakdown in city life,” he said.

MLU regulations permit residential areas to host specific commercial activities on notified roads, including retail shops on ground floors, offices, nursing homes, guest houses, and banks. Commercial activity must typically not exceed 25% of total ground floor coverage, with heavy manufacturing and large-scale storage prohibited.

Chetan Sharma, general secretary of the Confederation of NCR RWAs, said civic bodies were expected to expand infrastructure on streets notified for mixed use, but nothing materialised. “These places have no parking facility and the load of commercial activities is being put on the limited infrastructure made for residential use. This defies the entire logic of planning a city,” he said.

The Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee has repeatedly criticised MLU in its reports over the last decade. In a 2019 report, the panel termed the policy “faulty,” noting that in addition to commercial activities on ground floors, activities are also being allowed on other floors. “This has led to mixed use streets becoming totally commercial in every aspect,” the report stated.

Mukesh Verma, general secretary of the Ram Chowk Market Association and a resident of the area, said, “This overhead wire issue is not new. In May 2023, a fire broke out hardly 150 metres from here. It was at a pizzeria on the ground floor with residences on the upper floors. That time too, the shutter was close and the overhead wires created a hurdle in the firefighting operation. We then wrote to BSES who got some of the wires removed.”

Yashpal Kundra, another resident, said, “The lane is narrow and DFS was struggling to park their vehicles. Their bronto truck only malfunctioned for a few minutes but because there was so much chaos, the operation was delayed. Kashyap family has a high voltage supply and BSES and others took time to shut it down. There was also no ventilation inside their house. By the time shutter was open, the fire spread to the entire house.”

Jagdish Mamgain, former works committee chairman in unified MCD and an urban planning expert, said the failure is twofold. “The Delhi Fire Service is not equipped well enough... It appears they don’t have enough resources --people, nets, and ladders. If the city’s budget is ₹1 lakh crore, can it not have basic rescue equipment? Secondly, it is a failure of town planning. Illegal construction and use were granted relaxation under special laws in 2007 for three years, and this has seen multiple extensions. We are now in 2026. The regulations under MLU need to be made more stringent. The mindset is now to maximize revenue generation from a property when the infrastructure itself is not ready. The Arpit Hotel fire in Karol Bagh also saw similar lapses; we need a complete overhaul.”

The Palam tragedy echoes the 2024 Vivek Vihar fire where six children died in a building illegally converted from residential to hospital use, with balconies covered by iron frames and chrome panels – another example of MLU-related safety failure.

Anil Yadav, the spokesperson of the MCD did not comment despite repeated attempts to seek comment. MCD has remained tight-lipped about the lapses that led to the fire.