After Hisar hotel fire: Haryana rights panel seeks statewide fire safety audit

The Haryana Human Rights Commission, chaired by Justice Lalit Batra, issued an order on May 7 calling the incident deeply disturbing and alarming. It directed a statewide audit of emergency rescue infrastructure, fire-fighting readiness, and enforcement of statutory safety standards in multi-storeyed buildings, hotels, commercial complexes and densely populated urban areas across Haryana. It noted reliance on local residents for rescue as indicative of inadequate evacuation infrastructure and sought a compliance report from the chief secretary, additional chief secretary (town and country planning) and the director general of fire and emergency services regarding procurement of advanced rescue equipment, district-wise availability of firefighting infrastructure, and future plans to strengthen emergency response systems. It emphasised the need for hydraulic platforms and turn table ladders, and called for a policy-level report outlining decisions, funding, interdepartmental coordination, procurement status, and a time-bound framework. The commission also referenced an earlier suo motu case dating from 2022 regarding hydraulic platforms and ladders, and asked for separate reports from the deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, municipal commissioner and chief fire officer of Hisar on the fire’s cause, rescue operations, victim compensation, hotel fire-safety clearances, and any action for violations of fire-safety norms.

A fire broke out at a multi-storeyed hotel in Hisar on May 6. Media reports described the blaze as beginning in the basement kitchen before engulfing several floors, prompting scrutiny of fire safety preparedness and emergency response.

The commission referred to an earlier suo motu case pending since 2022 regarding procurement and operationalisation of hydraulic platforms and turntable ladders in Haryana.