NEW DELHI: A spot check of some of the city's most popular party hubs reveals widespread violations of fire safety norms, putting the lives of revellers and visitors at risk.
The lapses were particularly glaring in several clubs in Rajouri Garden — in one place, a single fire extinguisher sat tucked behind the DJ counter instead of accessible points, a lounge labelled a door as a ‘fire exit' even though it opened straight into a kitchen, and at many venues, alarms were either defunct or missing.
Recalling last year's Jungle Jamboree blaze, Subhash, 34, an e-rickshaw driver, said: "I've driven here 10 years but never saw anything like it. The fire was so intense that people ran in panic, some jumping from the balcony to escape." The spot where the restaurant once stood is now a construction site, hidden behind sheets of blue corrugated iron.
Most clubs in the area sit along narrow service lanes choked by night-time parking spillover, creating bottlenecks that could slow evacuation and emergency response.
At Romeo Lane in Civil Lines, owned by the group that operates the Goa nightclub where 25 people died in Sunday's blaze, TOI found the fire exit right above the DJ booth on the establishment's top floor — with no signage and camouflaged within rock-like décor, virtually invisible unless opened. Not only is it difficult to notice, one can barely see it when the lights are dimmed during peak evening hours.
In the same establishment, fire extinguishers are present but not prominently displayed, while the fire hydrant system is placed in an inaccessible corner next to the exit.
There are three other restaurants and bars in the same market in Shammath Marg area. According to a pest control worker, a water treatment plant managing grease-laden kitchen wastewater, sitting next to the main electrical board, leaks, creating a potentially hazardous situation. A spot check confirmed this.
In Majnu Ka Tila, the five entry gates are barely wide enough for a fire tender. Most open into a maze of congested, poorly ventilated lanes where residential homes sit tightly packed with cafés and restaurants, all in extremely narrow clusters.
The market is densely packed and rooftop cafés lack visible extinguishers. In one building offering a view of the Yamuna housing at least three restaurants, just two hydrants — located outside — and two extinguishers at the staircase serve the entire structure. None is visible, however, for patrons to access in case of an emergency. Even staff seemed clueless about their existence.
Kumari Sumati Singh (23), a student at IPCW College, said the market has long been a favourite hangout for North Campus students because of its proximity. "It gets more crowded every year, especially around this time of the year and on weekends generally. It becomes so packed that two people can't even walk side by side in the same lane." Vaishnavi Priya (20), another student, said while malls clearly display safety equipment, she has never seen it in the market.
Dorjee, 29, a Tibetan refugee and chef, said the area feels safe due to a strong community and basic extinguishers in hotels, but the layout remains risky. "Staircases are narrow, the population is huge, and every block has a bar," he said.
At Hauz Khas Village, live wires could be seen jutting out from electrical poles along cramped lanes. Overhead, strings of fairy lights, bells and lanterns blended into a dense, haphazard mesh of electrical wiring that crisscrossed the entire stretch. Even before stepping inside any club, where neon lighting at the entrance is the main draw, visitors have to navigate electricity meter boards, many with loose or protruding wires and flammable decorative elements like artificial leaves and plastic flowers placed right beside them.
Locals said chronic traffic mismanagement makes evacuation difficult. Sixty-year-old Asarfir Rai, who has opened and closed the main gate for decades, said crowds and congestion have only worsened. "With restricted entry, vehicles pile up outside, causing huge jams. The number of residents has reduced, and most spaces are now rented to cafés and lounges."
Another concern is the row of matchbox-sized resto-lounges packed tightly next to one another, many connected by narrow, winding staircases with flimsy railings. These circular stairways, often the only access point, can quickly become choke points during an emergency. Meher, an 18-year-old student from IP University, said, "Those cafes are cheaper, so they draw more people and are packed on weekends."
In a building near the market entrance with three lounges stacked vertically, a single staircase serves as the only entry and exit, with three fire extinguishers merely placed in a corner outside the third floor on the staircase.
Get an chance to win ₹5000 Amazon Voucher by taking part in India's Biggest Habit Index! Take the survey here
Start a Conversation
Post comment