Delhi HC issues notice to Kejriwal govt on PIL seeking action against hotels violating fire safety norms

The Delhi High Court has issued notices to the Delhi government and all three municipal corporations on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking immediate action against hotels/guesthouses across Delhi in violation of fire safety and other norms in a time-bound manner.

The petitioner sought direction to respondents to fix accountability of its officials, negligence of which resulted in the death of so many people in Hotel Arpit Palace in Central Delhi's Karol Bagh area and take strict action against them.

The plea also sought direction to the Delhi government to pay adequate compensation to all those who lost their family members in the fire in terms of life expectancy factor.

Advocate Arpit Bhargava, who filed the PIL, raised issues relating to operation of illegal community/banquet halls for marriage and such other functions where many people gather at a given time and the concerned department failed to take any action against such illegal running of community halls (shaadi ghars, barat ghars, etc.) which do not even have fire clearance, license from concern department etc to operate as such, thereby risking lives of public at large.

The PIL also raises consequent issues of violation of building by-laws and non-adherence to any applicable laws including immense pressure on the structural stability of such buildings which accommodate more people at a particular community hall (shaadi ghars, barat ghars, etc.) in violation of the law.

Next date of hearing in the matter is March 13.