Here's why Delhi Police HQ denied a fire safety certificate

The state-of-the-art Delhi Police headquarters, a towering presence on Jai Singh Road in the heart of the Capital, has been denied a fire safety certificate (FSC) by the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) due to non-compliance with crucial fire safety norms.

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Despite being one of the city’s most high-profile government buildings, the 17-storey twin-tower complex — inaugurated in 2019 and spread across 8.09 acres — has failed to meet fire prevention standards. This raises pressing concerns about the safety of its occupants and its operational readiness in the event of a fire emergency.

According to official documents exclusively accessed by The Tribune, the Delhi Police submitted a request for the renewal of its headquarters’ fire safety certificate on April 21. A joint inspection by DFS officials and the Delhi Police on May 30 subsequently identified at least four critical deficiencies, leading to the formal denial of the renewal request by the DFS.

Chief among the concerns was the replacement of mandatory fire check doors with ordinary glass doors on the 17th floor. Additionally, door closers — vital for maintaining air pressure and containing smoke during a fire — were found missing from several fire-check doors, compromising the building’s compartmentalisation system.

The DFS also flagged the removal of lift lobby pressurisation on the 17th floor, a critical measure to prevent smoke from entering elevator shafts during a fire. “Reception is not allowed at the lift lobby, which renders the lobby purposeless,” read the DFS communiqué, underscoring another significant violation.

Further compounding the risk, the inspection team discovered that fire detectors in several parts of the building were non-functional.

“In view of the above shortcomings, the renewal of the fire safety certificate cannot be considered,” the DFS wrote to the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) of the PHQ on June 5, adding that the deficiencies must be rectified without delay and reported back to the Fire Department.

The fire safety certificate, issued under Rule 33 of the Delhi Fire Service Rules, certifies that a building adheres to prescribed fire prevention and safety measures. The denial of the certificate can prompt the licensing authority to initiate corrective actions.

Officials in the DFS stated that the certificate will be issued only after full compliance with prescribed fire safety standards. Till then, the Delhi Police headquarters — ironically the nerve centre of law enforcement in the Capital — remains without an essential safety endorsement.