Delhi fire: No regard for laws, safety norms

On Sunday, Delhi Police arrested Manish Lakra, the owner of the commercial building in west Delhi that caught fire on Friday, killing at least 27 people. The initial probe shows that the accident was waiting to happen because the owner and the tenant did not comply with mandatory safety requirements: The building plan was not sanctioned; it did not have a fire no-objection certificate or firefighting arrangements and it never applied for a fire clearance inspection. In addition, the multistorey building had only one entry-exit door, which meant that the occupants were trapped because the fire started from the first floor and engulfed the staircase, which was the only exit route.

Every time an incident such as this happens, the blame for flouting rules mostly lands on the building owners. But key questions remain unanswered: How could the owners of the building and the company that took it on rent manage to operate for so long without complying with clearances? How could the civic body approve a design plan for a multi-storey building with only one entry and exit? Didn’t regular inspections take place? Fourteen years after the Uphaar tragedy in Delhi and through several accidents between then and the Friday blaze, the city, its administrators, and citizens have shown scant regard for laws and safety norms. It’s high time that much more attention is paid to the issue of building regulations and safety norms. The laxity in enforcing norms is taking a tragic toll.