The Delhi government is reviewing building height limits linked to fire NOC requirements to strengthen safety standards after recent fatal fire incidents in the city, officials said, noting that in just over a month fires in residential buildings in Palam and Vivek Vihar claimed 18 lives, with the Vivek Vihar blaze reportedly caused by an air conditioner blast and the Palam fire allegedly triggered by an electrical short circuit.
According to the 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 no objection certificates (NOC) in the residential category.
Officials said that more than 95 per cent residential buildings in the national capital bypass fire safety measures because of this guideline.
Power Minister Ashish Sood said that the government is reviewing the building height norm to ensure that tighter fire safety norms are mandatorily followed.
Majority of residential buildings in Delhi do not have to take the fire NOC even though their layout, structure and growing use of electrical appliances like air conditioners expose them to risks of accidental fires, he said.
"We will try to make sure that the residential buildings lower than 17 metres also have to ensure proper fire safety measures," added the power minister.
Officials said that the discoms have often reported several instances where applicants for electricity connections do not agree with the building height measurement by their officials during field inspection process.
The Unified Building Bye-laws stipulate that the vertical height of the 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 with support up to 1.8 metres, ventilating apparatus, air conditioning equipment and lift machine room, staircase mumty (stair cover) with height up to 3 metres, solar panels fixed on terrace, screen wall up to 1.8 metres, chimneys and parapet up to 1.5 metres are not included in the height of the buildings.