Hotel sealed top floor with wall during inspection, later demolished it to run eatery: Official
New Delhi, Feb 12: The fifth floor of 'Hotel Arpit Palace', where a massive fire snuffed 17 lives, was being used as a rooftop restaurant which was "unauthorised", officials said Tuesday.
The fifth floor was sealed with a brick wall after which a fire safety certificate was issued, officials said and indicated that later the wall was demolished to run the rooftop restaurant.
They said the fifth floor was shaded with acrylic roof and being used as a terrace restaurant by the hotel management and added that kitchen and chairs were found by them during the fire fighting and cooling operations.
"The fifth floor was sealed with brick wall when a fire safety certificate was issued to Hotel Arpit Palace on December 12, 2014," said a Delhi Fire Service (DFS) officer.
Later, a re inspection was done by the DFS on December 4, 2017, and the owner was "deemed complied" with fire safety norms at the hotel premises and it was declared "fit" for "occupancy class residential"(guesthouse) with effect from December 24, 2017 for a period of three years, he said.
"Apparently, the wall used to seal the fifth floor was dismantled and it was being used for a terrace restaurant," the official said.
The fire safety certificate was issued only for basement being used as storage, ground floor which was used for a restaurant and reception, first and second floor having 12 guest rooms each, third and fourth floor having 11 guest rooms each, he added.
A massive fire swept through the four-storied hotel in the early hours of Tuesday, killing at least 17 guests, including two people who jumped off the building in a desperate bid to save themselves.
A child was among those killed in the blaze that started on the first floor of the hotel in the heart of the national capital around 3.30 am, trapping many guests who were in deep sleep, a fire official said.
The child as well as the two people who jumped are yet to be identified.
Preliminary investigation suggested a suspected short circuit may have sparked the fire, in which 35 people were injured, civic officials said.
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Officials instructed to make sure no untoward incident during Bengaluru IPL match: Home Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): Home Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday said that preparations have been made for the inaugural IPL match at Bengaluru's Chinnaswamy stadium on March 28, and the instructions have been given to police, the authorities and KSCA, which manages the venue, to ensure that there are no untoward incidents.
He also complimented the KSCA for installing a memorial plaque at the stadium in the honour of those killed in the stampede during the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) IPL victory celebration on June 4 last year.
Eleven people were killed, and a number of people were injured in the stampede outside the stadium, following which matches were stopped at the venue.
"The government has allowed the match to be held on March 28. All the corrections that were required have been done by the KSCA. The committee formed by the government, consisting of officials from the police, Greater Bengaluru Authority and other departments, is satisfied with the measures implemented by KSCA," Parameshwara said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that police, KSCA and RCB have made all the necessary preparations for the IPL's inaugural match here on March 28.
"Also, necessary instructions have been given to ensure that untoward incidents don't repeat, and they too have agreed to it," he added.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2026 opener in Bengaluru on March 28.
Parameshwara said, following the tragedy during RCB's IPL victory celebrations, KSCA and the government had to face a lot of criticism globally. The government intervened and took several measures, including constituting the Justice John Michael Cunha Commission to look into the lapses.
After the commission submitted a report with recommendations, the government asked the KSCA to implement them, he said. "There are long and short-term recommendations. Since the KSCA made corrections as per recommendations, the matches have been permitted," he added.
