A fire incident which gutted Deflo Club in Sector 26 here on Thursday could have been prevented if action had been taken on earlier inspection reports highlighting serious lapses in fire safety compliance.
The Fire Department of the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation and a team led by former Mayor Harpreet Kaur Babla, along with then chairman of the Fire Committee Maheshinder Singh and joint commissioner and chief fire officer Dr Inderjeet, had conducted an extensive inspection of fire and rescue preparedness in major hotels, restaurants, cafés, bars and commercial complexes across the city in December 2025.
The inspection was carried out after a fire incident at a nightclub in Goa in December 6, 2025, in which at least 25 persons were killed and several others injured. The purpose of the inspection was to prevent Goa-like accidents and improve safety standards in crowded entertainment venues in Chandigarh.
A copy of the inspection report available with The Tribune found large-scale violations of fire safety norms at the clubs, including Deflo Club.
As per the report, Deflo Club had multiple shortcomings, including inadequate fire extinguishers, a non-functional first-aid hose reel, and absence of wet riser system with accessories. It also noted that an underground static fire water tank of 1,00,000 litres capacity was not provideded.
The report further pointed out that one electric and one diesel standby pump of 2,260 LPM and one 180 LPM electric pump were missing. The terrace fire water tank was also not as per prescribed norms.
Other violations included a non-functional manually operated electronic fire alarm system, some faulty fire detectors, and a fire alarm panel without battery backup.
The report also noted that a two-way fire brigade connection had been installed instead of a four-way system with NRV in a box. Illuminated exit signboards were missing at some escape routes, and the emergency evacuation plan was not displayed.
It suggested that all exit routes be kept free of obstructions and that curtains, acoustic panels, celling hangings and decorative materials be treated with fire-retardant chemicals with a two-hour fire resistance rating.
Babla said that she would raise the issue in the next House meeting to seek accountabilitiy on why corrective measures were not taken despite the inspection report.
She added that fire safety certificates, alarms, smoke and ventilation management, and emergency exits were checked in many clubs. In some cases, liquor licences were issued without fire department NOCs.
Inderjeet said the club was functioning without a fire safety certificate.
He added that an advisory had already been issued to the club to get the certificate after complying with norms. A report has been sought and necessary action will be taken after examining it.
