8 commercial buildings get notice after fire safety certificates expire
New Delhi: Eight high-rise commercial buildings in areas such as Connaught Place and KG Marg have been sent notices for not renewing their fire safety certificate, Delhi Fire Service officials said on Tuesday.
These buildings come under the fire department's Connaught Place jurisdiction, they said.
Notices have been sent to the management of Mercantile House on KG Marg, Surya Kiran Building at Connaught Place, Akashdeep building on Barakhamba Road, Ambadeep building, Allahabad Bank building and Punjab National Bank building, among others, so far, Delhi Fire Service director Atul Garg said.
Their fire safety certificate has expired, but the management of these buildings are yet to approach the department for its renewal, he said.
The officials said that the department is conducting a drive to identify high-rise commercial buildings that have not renewed their fire safety certificates, and in the first phase, eight buildings have been identified in the Connaught Place jurisdiction.
More notices will be sent after scrutiny of records of other jurisdictions, they said.
Garg said so far, notices have been sent to the eight high-rise commercial buildings. "It is mandatory for every high-rise commercial building to have a fire safety certificate. Since we have been getting a lesser number of calls on fire incidents, we have been able to start a survey under a new initiative wherein we have analysed such high-rise buildings whose fire safety certificate has expired and have still not applied for the same," he said.
The officials said that among the eight notices sent, at least six buildings have been directed to get faults in their fire safety systems repaired and then inspected.
If the safety measures are still found non-functional, legal action will be initiated against them, they said.
"By sending such notices, there will be public awareness about the importance of compliance with fire safety norms. So, owners and occupants of such commercial buildings will themselves get their fire safety systems checked on time, before six months of their FSC expiry, and will approach us for inspection in order to get their FSC renewed," an official said.
