Fire safety clearance rejected for MEA headquarters on Delhi’s Janpath Road

The Delhi Fire Service has rejected fire safety clearance for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) headquarters at Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan on Janpath Road, citing unresolved safety shortcomings in the basement, including damaged fire-check doors and unauthorised temporary rooms and partitions without firefighting systems.

The department said the issues identified during an earlier inspection had not been rectified.

In a letter dated September 25, the fire department said the premises was inspected by fire department officials on August 29 in the presence of a representative of the MEA. The inspection found that two shortcomings, which had been pointed out during an earlier inspection, had not been rectified.

The first issue is with the fire-check doors in the basement. The department said the glass of a fire-check door was found broken, while door closers had been removed at some locations.

“The second concern relates to changes made inside the basement. Temporary rooms and partitions have been created and the existing firefighting systems, including the detection system and sprinklers, have not been extended to these areas,” a fire department official said.

The department also noted that a portion of the basement had been converted for residential use as a “barrack”. It said approval from the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) was required for the change, following which fire safety clearance can be given.

The latest inspection followed an earlier fire safety inspection conducted on January 24, 2025. The earlier report had identified eight shortcomings at the premises, including non-functional staircase and lift-shaft pressurisation, unsealed electric shafts, a non-functional smoke management system in the basement, improperly positioned sprinklers, inadequate exit signage and a non-functional diesel engine pump, apart from the two issues that remain unresolved.

The January 2025 letter had stated that the fire safety case was being rejected and asked the MEA to rectify the shortcomings at the earliest. The latest communication indicates that the other shortcomings had subsequently been complied with, while the fire-check door issue and unauthorised changes in the basement remained pending.

“You may apply for a re-inspection of the premises upon the completion of the aforementioned shortcomings,” the letter added.

The letter further said that occupation of the premises without the requisite fire safety arrangements would be at the risk and liability of the owner or occupier.

The fire department has consequently asked the MEA to complete the remaining rectification work before seeking another inspection. MEA representatives did not respond to queries.

The red sandstone Jawaharlal Nehru Bhawan, located on Janpath, houses the Ministry of External Affairs and is a major government office complex in central Delhi. It has three interconnected blocks that have three and five floors, and its construction was completed in 2011.