Now Reading: Delhi HC orders meeting on fire NOC rules for old building power links
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Delhi HC orders meeting on fire NOC rules for old building power links
The Delhi High Court has directed BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), the Delhi Fire Service and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to devise a procedure for granting fire safety certificates needed for…
The Delhi High Court has directed BSES Yamuna Power Limited (BYPL), the Delhi Fire Service and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to devise a procedure for granting fire safety certificates needed for electricity connections, especially in old buildings where connections are refused because the buildings exceed prescribed height limits.
Justice Amit Bansal fixed a meeting for October 6 at 3 PM and said it must clearly delineate steps for occupants of old buildings whose connections are denied on height grounds. The court acted on a BYPL plea about the fire certificate requirement. Delhi Fire Service told the court that consumers cannot approach it directly for a certificate and must go through the MCD, which also determines building height.
The court noted that under the amended Schedule of Charges, residential buildings up to 15 metres (or 17.5 metres with stilt parking) do not need a fire clearance for power connections. The MCD and Fire Service must file a status report within six weeks. The next hearing is on January 20, 2027.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The dispute exposes a coordination gap that affects thousands of Delhi residents in older neighbourhoods: distribution companies refuse connections above the height threshold, while the fire service says it can only act through the MCD, leaving consumers trapped. Under Rule 34 of the Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025, building plans flow through local authorities, so the bottleneck is administrative, not technical. The court has used the meeting to force the three agencies to agree on a clear route. Past Delhi High Court orders in similar utility disputes have set deadlines for procedural clarity, and the status report due in six weeks will show whether the agencies comply. The January 20, 2027 hearing will test whether the new procedure actually reaches affected residents, not just the agencies' desks.
Source: livelaw.in
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
