At a time when Delhi is grappling with a rising number of fire-related emergencies and a string of deadly blazes, the Delhi Government has deferred the implementation of key provisions of its previously revamped fire-safety framework by 270 days, taking their commencement to May 20, 2027.
The move, however, has raised questions with sources in the Delhi Fire Service likely to seek clarification from the Legal and Home Departments on whether the commencement of provisions that have already completed their previously prescribed 90-day transition period can be extended retrospectively.
A notification issued by the Home Department on October 16 and published in the Delhi Gazette on Saturday says the commencement of Rules 34, 35, 36, 37 and 38, along with the First and Seventh Schedules of the Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025, has been extended for another 270 days, with effect from August 24, 2026, up to May 20, 2027.
The concern arises from the wording of the original 2025 amendment rules. When the rules were notified in May, most of the amendments were brought into force immediately, but Rules 34-38 and the two schedules were specifically kept out and made applicable 90 days after publication in the official gazette.
That 90-day window ended on August 24. The latest notification, however, says the period of commencement is being extended by 270 days “with effect from August 24, 2026”, effectively moving the operative date to May 20, 2027.
The provisions being deferred are not minor procedural changes. They form a significant part of the fire-safety overhaul notified by the Delhi Government earlier this year. The 2025 amendments introduced a system of third-party fire-safety auditors, under which empanelled individuals, firms or companies could inspect buildings and issue fire safety certificates, subject to verification by the DFS. The framework also provided for random verification of at least five per cent of certificates issued by auditors every quarter.
The rules also sought to move Delhi towards continuous, rather than periodic, fire-safety compliance. Building owners or occupiers would have to make annual online declarations on the functioning of fire-safety installations, while an automated continuous monitoring system was proposed for specified categories of buildings.
The framework also widened the range of buildings subject to enhanced fire-safety requirements, covering categories such as residential buildings above 15 metres, hotels above 12 metres, educational and institutional buildings above nine metres, assembly buildings, underground structures and certain industrial, storage and hazardous premises
