Delhi Government Considering Lowering Building Height Norm to Strengthen Fire Safety Measures

New Delhi, May 14: Delhi government is considering revising building height limits for fire NOC requirements following recent fatal accidents. Current guidelines exempt many residential buildings under 17.5 metres, leading to widespread bypass of fire safety measures.

Current Guidelines and Gap

According to Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission (DERC) guidelines, power discoms can provide electricity connections to 17.5-metre-high buildings with stilt parking and 15-metre-high stilt-less buildings without seeking fire safety NOCs in the residential category. Officials said that more than 95 per cent of residential buildings in the national capital bypass fire safety measures because of this guideline.

Minister's Statement

Power Minister Ashish Sood said the government is reviewing the building height norm to ensure that tighter fire safety norms are mandatorily followed. "We will try to make sure that residential buildings lower than 17 metres also have to ensure proper fire safety measures," he added. Most residential buildings in Delhi do not have to take fire NOC even though their layout, structure and growing use of electrical appliances expose them to fire risks.

Recent Fatal Accidents

In a period of just over a month, fire accidents involving residential buildings in Palam and Vivek Vihar areas of the city claimed 18 lives. The fire in the Vivek Vihar building was caused by a blast in an air conditioner unit, while the accident in Palam was triggered allegedly by an electrical short circuit.

Building Height Measurement

The Unified Building Bye-laws stipulate that the vertical height of buildings with flat roofs is measured from the highest surrounding road or ground level up to the top of the structural slab. Structures like roof tanks, ventilating apparatus, AC equipment, lift machine rooms, staircase mumty, solar panels, screen walls, chimneys and parapet are not included in the height calculation.