The Supreme Court on Thursday expressed its concern over the recent fatal fire incidents in Delhi and Lucknow, linking them to the clusters of unauthorised buildings in cramped areas. A Bench of Justices Ahsanuddin Amanullah and R. Mahadevan stated that the ‘slackness’ by civic authorities in taking effective action against unauthorised constructions would not be tolerated.
The court’s remarks came after senior advocate Ajit Sinha, who was appointed as amicus curiae, pointed out that several factors had converged to lead to the tragedies. He mentioned the fire that blazed through a narrow multi-storey building in Delhi’s Malviya Nagar, which operated as a bed and breakfast with a restaurant on the ground floor. The fire resulted in the death of 23 people, most of whom were foreign nationals.
Mr. Sinha also mentioned the fire in a multi-storeyed building situated in Lucknow’s Aliganj, which resulted in the death of 15 persons, many of whom were students aged between 16 and 25 years. The court cautioned that top officials of the civic bodies would be held personally liable if effective action was found not taken on the ground to check unauthorised constructions.
The court referred to media reports that 93% buildings in Gurugram failed in complying with fire safety norms and asked the executive head of the civic body of the city to be present on the next date of hearing with a report detailing the action taken. The Additional Solicitor General S.D. Sanjay, appearing for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, agreed to file a detailed report before August 4, the next date of hearing.
The court’s concerns highlight the need for civic authorities to take effective action against unauthorised constructions and ensure compliance with fire safety norms to prevent such tragedies in the future.
