Triggered by the horrific Goa fire tragedy that exposed lethal gaps in public safety, the Delhi government has declared war on fire-safety violations, issuing an unprecedented emergency order that mandates the Delhi Fire Service to launch immediate, wall-to-wall inspections of every restaurant, hotel, club, banquet hall, pub, rooftop venue, and temporary structure across the capital before the year-end festive rush turns deadly.

The sweeping directive empowers all Divisional and Assistant Divisional Officers to conduct surprise checks with zero prior notice, scrutinising every detail mandated under Rule 33 of the Delhi Fire Service Rules, 2010: functional extinguishers, sprinklers, smoke detectors, illuminated exit signs, unblocked staircases, valid fire NOC renewals, and strict adherence to sanctioned building plans, with non-compliance reports required to be uploaded instantly through a dedicated chain of command.

Home Minister Ashish Sood has publicly drawn a red line, announcing an iron-fisted zero-tolerance regime under which repeat offenders will face immediate sealing, permanent license cancellation, criminal prosecution, and crippling financial penalties, while simultaneously pushing accelerated procurement of advanced hydraulic platforms, narrow-lane fire tenders, and high-rise rescue equipment to finally address Delhi’s long-standing urban firefighting weaknesses.

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In an aggressive inter-departmental offensive, Sood has compelled the GST department and the three Municipal Corporations of Delhi to surrender real-time databases containing exhaustive lists of every licensed and unlicensed commercial establishment, rooftop café, farm-house venue, and wedding pandal, creating a unified high-risk registry that will allow the Fire Service to prioritise and execute precision raids round the clock.

Declaring the Goa tragedy a national wake-up call, authorities have framed the crackdown as a complete rupture from the lax oversight of the previous AAP regime, vowing not only to punish habitual violators without exception but also to streamline genuine compliance pathways, ensuring that by the time Christmas lights go up, every public space in Delhi stands fully fortified against fire disasters.

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