Delhi Notifies Fire Safety Rules; Bans Construction Of Rooftop, Basement Kitchen

In the wake of the Surat fire tragedy that killed at least 15 students at a coaching centre located on the fourth floor of a commercial building, the Delhi government has notified new fire safety rules under its existing building by-laws. The new laws will be inserted under a new clause 7.31 in Chapter 7 of the Unified Building By-Laws for Delhi, 2018, under which various provisions have been made for fire safety.

Additionally, the Delhi government has also ordered the city fire services to carry out immediate safety audits on all the buildings that have coaching centres in them. Most of these buildings are located in areas, including Mukherjee Nagar, Lakshmi Nagar, Ber Sarai and Saket.

Read More: Delhi Building Bye-Laws Related To Fire

The new rules are:

• Ban the construction of rooftops and basement kitchens and the installation of carbon monoxide detectors.

• Ban the use of flammable material as a way to extend the rooftops.

• Mention proper air ventilation for staircases and corridors in the buildings.

• Make the installation of fire safety doors mandatory. These doors should have a resistance of not less than one hour and should be installed at the entrance of each floor level where the number of occupants is more than ten.

Delhi’s Urban Development department has also stated that no fire no-objection certificate (NOC) would be issued for guest houses which have more than four floors, excluding basement and stilt floor. According to the amendments, the owners of guest houses will have to submit floor plans indicating the use of each floor to the Delhi Fire Services, while applying for Fire NOC.

It was in April 2016 when the Delhi government had announced a unified and simplified legal framework for construction by-laws in the city which included single-window clearance, sustainable construction norms and easy permit system. The new policy had empowered architects/engineers to issue building permits for low-risk residential buildings (up to 500 sq m) and very low-risk warehouses (up to 250 sq m).