The Delhi high court has directed the Delhi government to decide two representations seeking regular fire safety audits and framing of fire safety norms for small hospitals and nursing homes in the wake of a harrowing fire tragedy at a private neonatal nursing home that claimed the lives of seven newborns.
A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Manmeet PS Arora, which conducted the court on a holiday, said the two petitions raising the issue of fire safety should be treated as representations by the government that shall decide them by passing detailed speaking orders within four weeks.
The court also directed the Delhi government and the Department of Delhi Fire Service to file an action taken report within eight weeks and listed the matter for reporting compliance on August 9.
Delhi government standing counsel Santosh Kumar Tripathi submitted that it was not treating the petitions as adversarial and it was willing to incorporate the just and fair suggestions given by the petitioners in fire-fighting norms.
The petition filed by one Shweta, who claimed to be a social worker, sought directions to authorities to have a regular comprehensive fire safety audit, ensure proper fire-fighting systems and address the issue of insufficient electric load capacity. It also sought mandatory provisions or requirements relating to fire safety for coaching institutes, small hospitals and nursing homes in Delhi.
Advocate Pradeep Sharma, representing the petitioner, submitted that as per the data from the Delhi government’s health department, out of 1,183 registered nursing homes in the national capital, the registration of 340 has expired.
“However, these nursing homes are still running without considering the risk to the lives of innocent people. One such incident was the fire at Baby Care New Born Hospital in Vivek Vihar here on the night of May 25 which took the lives of 7 infants,” he said.
The plea said authorities should be directed to ensure registration and timely renewal of requisite licences for running these establishments.
The other petition filed by Yugansh Mittal said in the aftermath of the neo-natal centre fire incident, a disturbing pattern is emerging and it appears that in a bid to avoid complying with any fire precautions, such small or medium hospitals seem to be taking advantage of “ambiguity” in rules.
Advocate K C Mittal, who appeared for the petitioner, referred to a news report and said that almost 1000 hospitals are registered with the Delhi government, however, only 196 have the fire NOC. “It is really shocking that as per the news report, only about 20 per cent of the hospitals have fire NOCs, logically the sequitur being that 80 per cent or almost 804 hospitals are not having fire NOCs and are at risk of a fire hazard,” he said.
The plea sought a direction for framing different set of basic norms that could be implemented by smaller hospitals and nursing homes such as having sprinklers and automatic fire alarms. It also sought direction that authorities inspect smaller hospitals and nursing homes in Delhi for compliance of already established fire safety norms under the Delhi Fire Service rules, 2010.
Six newborns died in the deadly fire at the Baby Care New Born Hospital in Vivek Vihar on May 25. Among the five injured children rescued from the hospital, one died during treatment on Friday.
