The Delhi Fire Service (DFS) on Thursday rejected the building plans for the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) colony at Sarojini Nagar, citing significant violations of fire safety norms under the National Building Code (NBC), officials aware of the matter said.
The department, in an order seen by HT, directed project developer NBCC Ltd to address the deficiencies and resubmit the plans for approval.
The Sarojini Nagar GPRA project – one of seven major government housing projects in south Delhi being developed by NBCC Ltd – envisions thousands of residential units and mixed-use spaces. But a technical review by DFS found that the submitted designs failed to comply with several core safety provisions of the NBC and Delhi Fire Service Rules.
According to the fire department’s order, the project lacked adequate access for fire tenders, proper hydrant placements, and safe evacuation routes.
“The proposal could not be cleared as it did not conform to the required standards of fire prevention and life safety as mandated under the NBC. The applicant has been asked to make necessary corrections and submit revised plans,” the official cited above said.
According to the report by DFS, several high-rise residential blocks did not leave enough open space for rescue operations.
The layout also did not provide adequate refuge areas, exit doorways of the staircases were not provided as per the NBC and the space between two office compartments was also not found adequate. Additionally, basement parking did not have enough circulation space for fire tenders, the DFS inspection found.
HT’s requests to comments on the matter from NBCC Ltd did not elicit any response till the time of this edition going to print.
Sarojini Nagar is among the seven GPRA colonies being redeveloped by the Union housing ministry in Delhi. Under the project, over 10,000 government flats are being constructed across 160 towers, along with a commercial hub of around 600 shops and office spaces in a “high-street” complex. Spread over 258 acres, the site lies between Ring Road and Safdarjung Airport, bounded by Africa Avenue to the west.
Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 2,500 completed type-II flats in Sarojini Nagar. The project’s commercial component, known as “Downtown,” was recently completed and auctioned.