Delhi Government Moves To Tighten Fire Safety Rules For Residential Buildings

The Delhi government is reviewing the existing fire safety exemption framework that currently allows a majority of residential buildings in the capital to avoid mandatory fire safety clearance, officials said. The proposed review comes amid growing concerns over recurring fire incidents and aims to tighten compliance standards for residential structures, particularly those with rising electricity consumption and dense urban construction patterns.

According to officials, the current system permits electricity distribution companies to provide power connections to residential buildings without requiring a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC) if the structures are up to 17.5 metres high with stilt parking and up to 15 metres without stilt parking. The framework, governed under Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission guidelines, effectively exempts nearly 95 per cent of residential buildings in Delhi from mandatory fire safety certification requirements.

Ashish Sood said the government is examining whether the existing height-based exemption structure should be revised to improve fire safety enforcement across residential areas. Officials indicated that the proposal under consideration may lower the current height thresholds that determine whether a fire NOC is required before electricity connections are granted, thereby expanding the number of buildings subject to mandatory safety scrutiny.

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The present framework evolved through a combination of Delhi Fire Service rules and planning relaxations under the Delhi Master Plan. While buildings above 15 metres are classified as high-rise structures requiring stricter fire safety compliance, separate planning provisions permit residential buildings with stilt parking to reach 17.5 metres without being treated as high-rise for some approvals. Officials said this dual system has led to inconsistencies and enforcement gaps over time.

The policy review follows several major fire incidents in the capital, including recent fires in Palam and Vivek Vihar that reportedly claimed 18 lives within a little over a month. Authorities said the Vivek Vihar fire was linked to an air-conditioning unit explosion, while the Palam incident is suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. Earlier tragedies such as the 2022 Mundka fire and the 2019 Anaj Mandi blaze also exposed vulnerabilities related to electrical overload, overcrowding and inadequate fire safety compliance.

Officials said electricity discoms frequently face disputes during field inspections over how building heights are measured under existing regulations. Under current bye-laws, rooftop installations such as water tanks, solar panels, parapet walls and stair structures are excluded from official height calculations, often creating ambiguity during enforcement. If approved, the revised proposal could significantly widen the scope of mandatory fire safety clearance in Delhi and bring a much larger section of residential buildings under formal inspection and compliance mechanisms.

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