NEW DELHI: Carbon monoxide and smoke alarm, fire doors on each floor and smoke ventilation of all passages/corridors at each floor level and staircases are now must for guest houses to get fire permits in the national capital.Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain on Friday approved 10 amendments to the Delhi Building By Laws, 2016 for enhancing fire safety of hotels in the wake of the Karol Bagh blaze that claimed 17 lives earlier this month. Senior officials from all the three municipalities of Delhi and Departments of Fire Services, Home and Urban Development discussed various aspects with Jain at a meeting.
In the amendments, special directives were given regarding the use of rooftops, basements, passages and exit routes for curtailing the spread of fire in public buildings, according to a government statement. “All existing and future guest houses must install carbon monoxide smoke alarms, fire doors on each floor and remove all kinds of combustible materials from passages, exit routes and rooftops,” it said. “Natural or mechanical arrangements be made for smoke ventilation of the all passages/corridors at each floor level and staircases.”
Storage of inflammable material will not be allowed on the rooftops and kitchen will also not be allowed on rooftops or basements. Incidentally, the Delhi Fire Service, in a report, submitted that “the LPG ban was found on terrace” of Hotel Arpit Palace. Moreover, it added that “the terrace was covered with FRP roof which is flammable”.
As per the new rules, fire NOC for guest houses will not be issued to those buildings, which have more than four floors (excluding basement and stilt floor). Jain had swiftly taken action cancelling the fire permits of around 57 hotels at Karol Bagh in one week. “The Delhi government has zero tolerance against those playing with the lives of people. We have to strictly ensure that no one dies of fire mishaps in the city,” he said. The fire at Hotel Arpit Palace, which had necessary fire approval, had raised questions about the functioning of the Delhi Fire Service.