The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) has delayed the renewal of fire safety certificates (FSC) of many significant government buildings, including the Old Parliament Complex, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) building, some parts of Bharat Mandapam at Pragati Maidan, and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) building, after finding shortcomings in the fire safety arrangements during fire audits carried out by its fire officials, said at least two senior DFS officers on condition of anonymity.
DFS has uploaded the audit reports, mentioning the shortcomings related to fire safety arrangements in the buildings, on its website. Also, letters regarding the same have been sent to the officials concerned with the buildings, informing them about the unresolved fire safety concerns and asking them to address the shortcomings before reapplying for the renewal of FSCs, the officers said.
According to DFS’s letter, during the inspection of building hall A2 to A5 at Bharat Mandapam, the inspecting official found three shortcomings. Firstly, smoke curtains were non-operational to achieve the complete compartmentation of halls. Secondly, the glass of fire check doors at some places as broken and shafts (horizontal and vertically) were not properly sealed. Lastly, the water curtain in the basement was found ineffective.
“…further, the occupancy of building/premises in absence of requisite fire and life safety arrangements shall be at risk and liability of the owner/occupier…” the letter said.
Similarly, the Parliament Library building, Samvidhan Sadan (Old Parliament), the Parliament House Annexe, and its extension, also failed to meet fire safety standards. Inspections highlighted blocked staircases, non-functional smoke management systems, and inadequate hydrant coverage. Temporary offices in the basement and wooden panelling without fire-retardant treatment were also flagged as safety hazards.
The inspection of the RBI building at Sansad Marg conducted on March 10 revealed missing smoke detectors in air handling units (AHUs) and the absence of a smoke management system in the basement. DFS said that without addressing these deficiencies, FSC renewal is not possible.
Between December 4 and 24 last year, an inspection of the Delhi Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) building in Rohini was conducted and at least 22 shortcomings were found, such as pumps not being in auto mode, sprinklers not provided at ramp area, terrace tank not connected with the fire protection system, fire tower not matching with the approved drawing at terrace level, and electrical shafts not sealed and segregated with other shafts, said the first DFS official.
Fire safety officials said that non-compliance with fire safety norms poses a significant risk to both occupants and infrastructure.
“Ensuring fire safety is a critical responsibility, and we urge the concerned authorities to take immediate action. Officials have been urged to rectify these shortcomings before FSC renewal can be considered,,” said the second DFS official.
According to the DFS website, FSC’s are to be renewed every five years for residential buildings (other than hotels) and three years for non-residential buildings, including hotels from the date the certificates were issued. The application for renewal of FSCs shall be moved to the DFS director in Form J, which is available on the website, along with a copy of the FSC, at least six months before the expiry of the certificate.
