The recent fire at a hotel in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, which claimed 21 lives, has raised concerns over fire safety enforcement and record-keeping by local authorities, prompting calls for a more systematic inspection framework.
Officials say the tragedy should serve as a wake-up call, particularly as departments still do not maintain a comprehensive and updated list of restaurants, hotels and cafés for routine fire safety inspections.
Speaking to ‘The Tribune’, Jaswinder Singh, assistant divisional fire officer, said notices are regularly issued to hotels, cafés and clubs operating without a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) or adequate safety arrangements. He added that the department now plans to obtain a fresh list of establishments from the municipal corporation to enable more regular inspections.
“We are regularly issuing notices to the hotels, cafes and clubs which sans fire NOC and arrangements, but we now plan to take a new list of hotels and restaurants from the MC to conduct regular inspections,” Singh said.
He further explained that enforcement action escalates when compliance is not met. “We usually issue notice to owners. If he or she still fails to comply, then we write a letter to the concerned department to take required action,” he added.
However, some restaurant owners, speaking on condition of anonymity, alleged that fire safety checks are infrequent in practice. They maintained that establishments still ensure their own compliance due to safety concerns for both staff and customers.
“Whereas, on our part, we keep our fire safety arrangements fully in place, because the hotel or restaurant is something we need for ourselves, and for our own safety and for our clients, we keep all fire equipment fully ready on the premises,” one restaurant owner said.
Vishal Malhotra of Reboot on Pakhowal Road said licences are renewed only after compliance with fire safety norms. He added that establishments pay around Rs 50,000 over three years, with renewal granted only when the fire department is satisfied with installed firefighting systems.
“It, for three years, we pay around Rs 50,000 as fee and thus is given only when the fire department is satisfied with the firefighting systems installed at the premises,” Malhotra said.
Officials also noted that extreme summer conditions contribute to a rise in fire incidents, often due to short circuits and electrical sparks.
According to rough estimates from the fire department, Ludhiana recorded over 1,200 fire calls in 2025, up from around 1,100 in 2024. Of these, around eight to nine were major incidents involving factories or large commercial establishments.
