Arpit Palace fire: Emergency exit of hotel narrow, was locked, says KJ Alphons

Union minister KJ Alphons, who visited the site of the hotel fire in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh locality, said he was sure that there was a violation of safety norms.

Union minister K J Alphons on Tuesday said the emergency exit of the Arpit Palace hotel, where 17 people were killed in a fire that broke out early Tuesday, was “too narrow” and also locked.

Tourism Minister Alphons Kannanthanam meets the family members of victims who died in Hotel Arpit Palace fire accident at Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital in New Delhi, on Tuesday, February 12, 2019. (Amal KS/HT Photo)

The minister, who visited the site of the tragedy in central Delhi’s Karol Bagh locality, said he was sure that there was a violation of safety norms.

The Union tourism minister said there were a lot of wooden structures inside, which may have helped the fire spread. “When I headed to the emergency exit, I found that it had been locked yesterday (last night). Also, it was too narrow,” he said. “Even if people came to the emergency exit, they could not have escaped, because it was too narrow, and it was locked anyway,” he said.

Alphons said he spoke to the mayor of the North Delhi Municipal Corporation and asked him to check whether all regulations were in place and to take immediate action if there was any lapse on the part of the hotel management.