Delhi govt directs fire department to inspect hotels nightclubs restaurants amid Goa fire incident

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) With Christmas and New Year round the corner, the Delhi Fire Service on Wednesday directed its officers to carry out an inspection of restaurants, hotels and clubs in the aftermath of the Goa fire incident.
    The Delhi Fire Service issued the directions following government instructions.
    In an official order issued by A Nedunchezhiyan, Principal Director, Delhi Fire Service, all divisional officers (DOs) and assistant divisional officers (ADOs) of the Delhi Fire Service have been directed to undertake immediate and thorough fire safety inspections of public assembly premises such as restaurants, hotels and clubs, etc.
    A tragic fire at the Birch by Romeo nightclub in Goa last Saturday (December 6) resulted in the deaths of 25 people, including four tourists from Delhi.
    "In view of the recent fire incident in Goa and the increased risk associated with the upcoming festive season of Christmas and New Year Celebration, all Divisional Officers (DOs) and Assistant Divisional Officers (ADOs) of the     Delhi Fire Service are hereby directed to undertake immediate and thorough fire safety inspections of public assembly premises such as restaurants, hotels and clubs etc,” the order read.
    "The inspecting officers to verify the functional status of buildings by laws pertaining to fire prevention and fire safety measures as specified under Rule 33 of Delhi Fire Service Rules, 2010," it added.
    The officers have also been asked to submit a compliance report of the order.
    Delhi Home Minister, Ashish Sood, said the government is fully committed to ensuring robust fire safety standards in all restaurants, banquet halls, dining areas and wedding venues in the city.
    He informed that, in view of the Goa tragedy, strict directions have been issued to ensure that all fire safety equipment in these establishments is thoroughly inspected and kept in full working condition.
    Sood alleged that the previous governments had shown no interest in strengthening fire safety arrangements in Delhi's hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and similar establishments, resulting in such unfortunate incidents occurring frequently.
    The government's approach, he noted, is to both tighten regulatory oversight and rationalise procedural bottlenecks so that lawful businesses are encouraged to comply voluntarily.
    To further improve inter-departmental coordination in the interest of public safety, instructions have been issued to GST authorities and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to share detailed data with the Delhi Fire     Service on pubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, temporary structures, pandals and similar establishments.
    This integrated data will support improved risk assessment, focused inspections and timely preventive action, he added.
    Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday directed that establishments lacking fire safety equipment or violating standards would face appropriate action.
    During a review meeting with the fire department at the Delhi Secretariat, Gupta emphasised the importance of regular inspections of safety standards in large events, hotels, restaurants and clubs to prevent such accidents.
    Stressing that fire safety is not solely the responsibility of the department, the chief minister said establishment owners also have a collective responsibility to ensure that all fire safety measures are in place on their premises.
    She added that there must be no ambiguity or unnecessary delays in the process of issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs).

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)