Gurugram PGs raise fire safety concerns ‘amid overcrowding, violations’

HT’s spot check found PGs with dozens of tenants, narrow staircases and missing fire equipment in DLF Phase 3, Dundahera and other areas.

While Delhi reels from the September 6 collapse of a five-storey PG building in Satya Niketan that killed seven people, similar concerns over overcrowding, building violations and fire safety are evident in parts of Gurugram, where HT’s spot check on Tuesday found PGs operating in densely built residential areas with narrow access lanes and inadequate fire-safety provisions.

Fire officials said 667 PGs lacked fire NOCs or adequate safety equipment, while more than 350 accommodations have received show-cause notices. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

Satya Niketan, a student neighbourhood next to Delhi University’s South Campus, has evolved into an off-campus hostel zone with PGs, private hostels, cafes and restaurants catering to thousands of students. The building that collapsed was operating as a boys’ PG/hostel called “Hostel Daze”. The incident has triggered student protests and a PIL seeking a time-bound hostel policy and hostel facilities in every DU college.

In Gurugram, HT visited DLF Phase 3’s U-Block, Chakkarpur, Dundahera, and sectors 23 and 39 on Tuesday, where it found residential buildings converted into commercial PGs, budget guesthouses and eateries. Several approach lanes were broken, affected by garbage and sewer overflow, and too narrow to allow easy movement of vehicles.

PG owners and residents said rents ranged from ₹6,000 for double-room sharing to ₹13,000.

Several buildings exceeded permitted floors or operated along narrow roads, while some PGs had no extinguishers, sprinklers or exterior fire escapes. (Parveen Kumar/HT)

In a five-storey PG in DLF Phase 3’s U-Block, around 80 tenants were staying in 45 micro-rooms in a building of about 1,350 square feet. It had a single internal staircase, less than three feet wide, serving as the only entry and exit. On Tuesday, HT found no exterior fire escape, hose reels or automated sprinklers.

In Dundahera, a four-storey PG had 32 rooms. Its approach was through a narrow lane where two-wheelers were parked, leaving little space for pedestrians. The buildings allowed the use of gas cylinders but did not have fire extinguishers.

In Sector 39, several multi-storey residential houses converted into PGs or commercial establishments were also found without fire extinguishers.

“That will be installed. Why do you care about the fire extinguishers, madam? You will not find such affordable rental anywhere else,” a caretaker of a PG accommodation in Sector 39 told HT.

Nishant Kumar, who works at a corporate office in Cyber City near DLF Phase 3’s U-Block, told HT the accommodation was the closest to his workplace. “At this price and the close proximity to my office, this was one of the best options. Accommodation in Gurugram can be very costly. I am aware of the condition where I am staying, but the accommodation here is cheaper than all the other options. Hence, I have taken a chance,” he said.

Meanwhile, Neeta Kumari, a housekeeping staffer at a private company who stays in a girls’ PG in Dundahera, said, “I have to walk till the main road to get a ride. I live on the fifth floor and there is no lift, but this is affordable and close to office.” She added that the situation worsens during the monsoon, when streets are filled with water and electric cables are sometimes damaged.

Fire NOCs, building violations

Most buildings checked were stilt+four constructions. Under the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP, formerly HUDA) and the Haryana Building Code, standard residential buildings such as Stilt + 4 structures are generally permitted up to 15 metres, extendable to 16.5 metres with a fire department NOC. Stilt + 4 construction is permitted only on roads 10 metres or wider, while buildings beside roads 9 metres or narrower are limited to Stilt + 3 floors.

However, several buildings visited had up to six floors and were operating as PGs for young girls and boys. Most did not have lifts.

Fire department officials said at least 667 PG accommodations inspected so far were operating without a fire NOC or adequate fire-safety equipment. The survey began after the June 3 fire at an illegally operated B&B facility in South Delhi’s Malviya Nagar that killed at least 23 people.

Narendra Yadav, fire safety officer at Sector 29 fire station, said show-cause notices had been sent to more than 350 PGs. “The survey is ongoing, and we are sending notices as the survey continues. One of the major issues that we are facing is the shortage of staff. Gurugram has several such buildings which need to be checked, and our teams are working relentlessly for the survey. However, shortage of staff and workers is one of the reasons why the survey is moving at a slower pace,” he said.

Fire department officials also said 117 restaurants, 175 coaching centres, 84 coaching centres and 11 guest houses lacked fire NOCs and adequate firefighting equipment.

Under the National Building Code (NBC) and Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act regulations, buildings taller than 15 metres must obtain a fire NOC and install safety systems including extinguishers, water pipelines, fire alarms, sprinklers and smoke detectors.

Recent collapses

Building safety concerns have also surfaced in previous incidents. In March, the roof of a residential building converted into a PG collapsed in Dundahera, killing one man and injuring three. Residents had earlier complained of rainwater seepage, but the owner allegedly failed to carry out repairs, according to the police complaint.

Earlier this week, part of the roof at Tau Devi Lal Stadium collapsed following the monsoon. The structure was more than two decades old, and no injuries were reported.

Multiple other building collapses have been reported in Sadar Bazar, Udyog Vihar Phase 1, Sector 109 and Khawaspur Village, among others, over the past five years.

In the latest demolition drive, the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) identified 5,000 buildings with construction violations in DLF phases 1-5.

MCG officials said they were identifying illegal or unsafe structures under the civic agency’s jurisdiction. Satyabir Singh Rohilla, spokesperson of MCG, said, “Officials were compiling a list of illegal or unsafe residential and commercial buildings in the extended villages of the sectors and within MCG jurisdiction.”

A senior Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) official, asking not to be named, told HT, “Several PGs were found operating during demolition drives in different DLF phases. Some were sealed and demolished, while notices were issued to multiple house owners. Timely action will be taken as per law.”

To be sure, in June, the DTCP sealed 15 PGs (476 rooms) and three guesthouses/hotels (87 rooms) in DLF Phase III, with two bursts of action on June 18–20 and July 3–4. Officials said a survey flagged about 5,000 properties across DLF Phases 1–5 for building and land-use violations and that enforcement in Phase III alone has now touched nearly 100 properties through sealing, demolition of illegal rooms and stilt structures, and clearance of right-of-way encroachments. Another 50 guesthouses/PGs have been identified in licensed colonies outside DLF 1–5, where proceedings have been initiated.