NEW DELHI: A new notification issued by the Delhi Fire Safety department has left the owners and operators of several guest houses and hotels in the city a worried lot, as these establishments now face closure due to lack of required safety measures. Following the fire department notification, the local civic body has also sent notices to owners of 50 guest houses, asking them to either put the necessary measures in place or risk closure.
All the guest houses are situated in Paharganj, Karol Bagh and Mahipalpur, which are among the most congested areas in the national capital. The notification was issued in the wake of the devastating fire which broke out at Arpit Palace, a hotel at the bustling Karol Bagh, earlier this year. The blaze, which broke out in the wee hours, claimed the lives of 17 guests, including children.
“We met Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Health Minister Satyendra Jain, seeking some assurance in the matter. However, all we got were hollow assurances. There’s no option left for us but to close our establishments,” Arun Gupta, general secretary, Delhi Hotel Association, said.
The issues over which the hotel owners at Chandni Chowk, Paharganj and Karol Bagh met the CM recently are concerns surrounding the renewal of No Objection Certificates (NoCs) from the fire department and borewell charges.
Most of the NOCs were issued before 2007, based on the guidelines in the Delhi Master Plan 2021, for special areas. These guest houses were reviewed on the basis of rules that were in force at the time the NoCs were granted. However, these rules are under review after the hotel fire.