A public interest litigation (PIL) in the Delhi High Court has raised a query over how many schools, both private and government, in the Capital are complying with fire safety and building stability norms. The petitioner has alleged that the Delhi government does not have an answer to this query, and that is why he was forced to approach the court.
The PIL claimed that the Supreme Court had in 2009 issued directions to all schools in India to have fire safety and stability certificates, but the direction was not complied with. Petitioner Kush Kalra alleged that the Delhi government’s Directorate of Education, the Fire Services and Public Works Department were being negligent in performing their duty to ensure that schools comply with the safety norms. The PIL said the petitioner came to know about the lack of data with the authorities on this issue after he raised a query under the Right to Information Act. The PIL also claimed that around 500 schools responded to the query and “confirmed that they were not complying with fire safety and building stability measures”.
