Panipat DC orders audit of fire NOCs after Delhi hotel fire; MC issues notices to 146 institutions

Taking serious note of the Delhi hotel fire incident, Deputy Commissioner Dr Harish Kumar Vashisth has sought complete details of fire safety NOCs issued to hotels, banquets, malls, coaching centres, and hospitals operating in the city. He directed the department to submit a detailed report within a week.

Meanwhile, the Municipal Corporation has served show-cause notices to around 146 commercial institutions, including 85 hospitals and 61 hotels, in the district.

The MC issued the notices for alleged violations of the Haryana Building Code, 2017, and asked the institutions to reply within a week. The notice states that hospitals and hotels will be sealed and an FIR will be lodged against the owners if they fail to submit a satisfactory reply or if violations are confirmed.

The notices were served to hospitals and hotels on Assandh Road, NH-44, Sanoli Road, Barsat Road, and Model Town that were found operating in violation of norms.

MC teams surveyed hotels, hospitals, and other commercial establishments after the Delhi fire incident. The survey found several violations, including lack of valid fire department NOCs, absence of emergency gates, and improper fire-fighting systems. Following this, the MC served show-cause notices to 85 hospitals and 61 hotels.

The Fire Department has also launched a special campaign to inspect hotels in the city and has issued show-cause notices to 11 hotels so far.

On Wednesday, Dr Vashisth held a meeting and directed officials to conduct a special investigation into valid NOCs issued to malls, hotels, restaurants, coaching centres, hospitals, and schools in the district. He sought a detailed report from the District Fire Officer listing establishments that have valid NOCs and those that do not, and also asked for a separate report on violating hotels and hospitals within a week.