- Delhi government to reinspect B&Bs.
- Fire at Flourish Stay B&B kills 21 people in Delhi.
- The hotel was operating 26 rooms against a permit for six.
The fire killed 10 Indians, nine African nationals and two people from Turkmenistan.
"We are going to officially withdraw the bed-and-breakfast scheme, and all establishments licensed under it will be checked,” Kapil Mishra, tourism minister told PTI. "Action would be taken against operators found violating the terms of the licence. If any establishment registered under the scheme is found running more than six rooms, its licence will be cancelled.”
Mishra said the Flourish Stay was licensed under the Silver category of the B&B scheme in 2024 for six rooms, with the licence valid until 2027.Early findings showed the establisment was running 26 rooms instead of six, had no fire Non-Objection Certification and used wooden and plastic decor that increased fire risk.
Jagdish Mamgain, urban planning expert and former chairman of the erstwhile unified Municipal Corp. of Delhi, said that recent fire and building collapse deaths in Delhi show a serious system failure affecting public safety.
Another major accident Delhi saw was the 2019 Arpit Palace hotel fire in Karol Bagh that killed 17 people. It led authorities to bring in strict hotel fire safety rules, including limits on buildings above three storeys for fire clearance, the Times of India reported.
In 2022, fire rules said guest houses and hotels with more than four floors, poor ventilation, or no floor plans could not get a fire NOC. But later that year, the rules were relaxed and owners only had to give an affidavit promising they would follow safety norms.
Just last month, the tourism department put out a draft to revise the B&B policy, introducing Gold and Silver categories based on room size, safety standards and amenities
