Delhi fire: No regard for laws, safety norms

It’s high time that much more attention is paid to the issue of building regulations and safety norms to ensure that cities are safe for their citizens. The laxity in enforcing norms is taking a tragic toll

On Sunday, Delhi Police arrested Manish Lakra, the owner of the commercial building in west Delhi that caught fire on Friday evening, killing at least 27 people and injuring 17 others. The blaze is the deadliest since the 2019 factory fire at Anaj Mandi, when 43 were killed. The initial probe shows that the accident was waiting to happen because the owner and the tenant did not comply with mandatory safety requirements: The building plan was not sanctioned; it did not have a fire NOC or firefighting arrangements and it never applied for a fire clearance inspection. In addition, the multi-storey building had only one entry-exit door, which meant that the occupants were trapped because the fire started from the first floor and engulfed the staircase, which was the only exit route.

Family members of the people missing after a massive fire at an office building near the Mundka metro station, New Delhi, May 15, (PTI)

The police have registered a case of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, attempt to commit culpable homicide, concealing design to commit an offence punishable with imprisonment, and common intention under the Indian Penal Code’s sections 304, 308, 120, and 34. Every time an incident such as this happens, the blame for flouting rules mostly lands on the owners of these buildings. But the key questions remain unanswered: How could the owners of the building and the company that took it on rent manage to operate for so long without complying with a building and fire clearance? How could the civic body approve a design plan for a multi-storey building with only one entry and exit? Didn’t regular inspections take place?

Fourteen years after the Uphaar tragedy in Delhi and through several accidents between then and the Friday blaze, the city, its administrators, and citizens have shown scant regard for laws and safety norms. The situation is no different that in many other cities in the country. It’s high time that much more attention is paid to the issue of building regulations and safety norms to ensure that cities are safe for their citizens. The laxity in enforcing norms is taking a tragic toll.