NEW DELHI: The Delhi government is contemplating adjustments to the height limits of buildings concerning the fire NOC requirement to enhance safety regulations, following recent incidents that resulted in multiple fatalities in the city, officials reported.
As per the guidelines of the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC), power distribution companies can grant electricity connections to residential buildings up to 17.5 meters high with stilt parking and up to 15 meters high without stilt parking, without requiring fire safety no objection certificates (NOC).
Officials noted that over 95% of residential properties in the capital avoid implementing fire safety protocols due to this guideline.
Power Minister Ashish Sood mentioned that the government is evaluating building height regulations to ensure stricter adherence to fire safety standards.
Many residential structures in Delhi are exempt from acquiring a fire NOC, even as their design and the increasing use of electrical devices such as air conditioners heighten the risk of fire incidents, he stated.
“We aim to ensure that residential buildings under 17 meters also implement adequate fire safety standards,” the power minister added.
Officials have frequently reported cases where applicants contest the building height assessments made by inspectors during the electricity connection process. The Unified Building Bye-laws specify that the vertical height of buildings with flat roofs should be measured from the highest adjoining road or ground level up to the top of the structural slab.
Components such as roof tanks supported up to 1.8 meters, ventilation systems, air conditioning units, machine rooms for lifts, staircase coverings (mumty) up to 3 meters, solar panels on rooftops, screen walls up to 1.8 meters, chimneys, and parapets up to 1.5 meters are excluded from the height measurement.
In a little over a month, fire disasters in residential buildings located in the Palam and Vivek Vihar neighborhoods claimed 18 lives. The fire in Vivek Vihar was reportedly ignited by an air conditioner explosion, while the incident in Palam was allegedly sparked by an electrical short circuit.
