It was entirely predictable. Immediately after the massive fire at a bed-and-breakfast (B&B) establishment in South Delhi on June 3 that killed 22 people, the Delhi government announced inspections of all B&Bs and guest houses for violation of licensing conditions, including fire safety norms. Violators, it said, would face sealing of premises and cancellation of licences.
What happens next is equally predictable. Many establishments will be found wanting and some may even be shut down. Citizens will be assured that the government is in control and their safety is protected. But once the media spotlight shifts elsewhere, infringements will be forgotten and enforcement will lapse. B&Bs, guest houses, hotels and restaurants will continue to flout safety regulations, while enforcement agencies look the other way. Until the next tragedy, which under the circumstances is almost inevitable.
Consider the fire at Arpit Palace Hotel in Karol Bagh that claimed 17 lives in 2019. In its aftermath too, the government sprang into action, inspecting hotels and guest houses and cancelling the licences of 105 out of 145 hotels inspected for fire safety violations in the area. Had enforcement agencies shown such vigilance earlier, that disaster could have been prevented.
In the Arpit case, greed and corruption were obvious. Although the law permitted only four floors, the hotel had added fifth and sixth floors, along with a canopy, housing a kitchen and dining area. There were no fire alarms and the lone emergency exit for the six-storey building was locked.
The tragedy was waiting to happen, and the guests paid the price.
Those inspections exposed shocking systemic failures. Safety certificates had been issued despite serious deficiencies, while in other cases, establishments had made alterations on their premises after certification. Fire exits were blocked or converted into storage spaces, buildings were modified without approval, and firefighting equipment was not maintained. Clearly, there were either no surprise inspections after issuance of safety certification or violations were deliberately ignored. Had the authorities continued enforcement with the same zeal they displayed after the Arpit fire, 22 people would not have died in the Flourish Stay B&B on June 3.
Indeed, violations of fire safety laws have become so widespread that they are now the norm. Flourish Stay is yet another example. Under the B&B scheme, it was allowed only six rooms, yet the five-storey structure had 25 to 28 rooms. Worse, it lacked an emergency exit — the most basic safety requirement — and had no fire safety certificate. Can anyone seriously believe that such blatant violations could continue without the connivance or negligence of licensing authorities?
This is not just the problem in Delhi, but a nationwide phenomenon. After the devastating Uphaar cinema fire in Delhi in 1997, which killed 59 people, authorities across the country inspected cinema halls and closed many for violations. Yet even today, numerous theatres continue to disregard fire safety norms with impunity.
Similarly, after the AMRI Hospital fire in Kolkata that claimed 90 lives in 2011, fire departments across India launched extensive inspections. The audits revealed widespread violations, but sustained enforcement never followed. As a result, hospital fires have continued. The SUM Hospital fire in Bhubaneswar in 2016, which killed 26 people, was the result of wilful neglect by both the management and the regulators. So too was the Baby Care Newborn Hospital fire in Delhi in 2024 that claimed the lives of seven infants.
The same pattern is visible in schools. The tragic fire at DAV Public School in Dabwali, Haryana, in 1995 killed 442 people. The Kumbakonam school fire in Tamil Nadu in 2004 claimed 94 young lives. These disasters led to stricter fire safety regulations for schools, reinforced by the Supreme Court’s judgment in Avinash Mehrotra vs Union of India (2009). Yet, schools continue to violate safety norms.
The National Building Code, particularly Part 4 dealing with fire prevention, life safety and fire protection, provides a comprehensive framework. But unless state authorities enforce it rigorously, the consumers remain at risk. So, first and foremost, public disclosure of fire safety status is essential. All public and commercial buildings, including hotels, hospitals, schools, cinema halls, auditoriums, museums, office complexes, should prominently display their fire safety certification at the entrance, on websites and in advertisements.
By scanning the certificate, consumers should be able to verify its authenticity. This way, consumers can refuse to patronise buildings without a valid certification.
State fire departments should maintain publicly accessible databases listing every commercial and public building and its fire safety status. There should be at least one surprise inspection every year during the validity of a licence to ensure continued compliance. Violations should attract not only administrative penalties and closure orders, but also criminal prosecution. Details of such inspections and the names of officials who conducted them should also be in the public domain to ensure transparency and accountability.
Every department should provide consumer helplines for reporting safety violations. Most importantly, where fires result in injury or death, investigation, prosecution and punishment must be swift and certain through dedicated fast-track courts. Only then will fire safety cease to be a ritual observed after disasters and become a genuine commitment to protecting human life.
— The writer is a consumer affairs expert
