Delhi Hotel Fire: Owner Gets 4-Day Custody, MCD Launches Sealing Drive Across Capital

A catastrophic fire at the Flourish Stays hotel in south Delhi’s Malviya Nagar has claimed 21 lives , triggered mass arrests , a city wide sealing drive , and a sweeping overhaul of the capital’s hospitality licensing regime within 48 hours of the blaze.

The fire broke out around 8:30 am on Wednesday at the Flourish Stay bed and breakfast in the congested Hauz Rani locality of Malviya Nagar. The blaze tore through the five floor building , which had only one entry exit point , permanently sealed windows, and a sensor operated main door. The deceased include 11 foreign nationals , most of them attendants of patients being treated at nearby hospitals in the Saket area . At least 58 people were rescued .

Flourish Stays owner Lavkesh Bajaj , arrested hours after the tragedy, was produced before the Saket court and sent to four days police custody . Bajaj admitted to illegally increasing the number of rooms in his property to 25 instead of 6 permitted , saying he did so for higher rental income. He also admitted the premises did not have a mandatory Fire NOC . Police are verifying records from the electricity department and other agencies to check approvals, permissions, and structural compliance, while also examining ownership of multiple properties linked to the accused. MCD officials alleged he obtained the licence by concealing key facts.

On the relief front, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta visited injured victims at Max Saket Hospital , where 17 injured persons were admitted, including 7 on ventilators . The Delhi government announced an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh for each deceased and Rs 5 lakh for seriously injured victims. The CMO said arrangements were being made to transport mortal remains to native places and ensure full medical expense support .

A swift administrative response followed, with Lieutenant Governor T S Sandhu and Home Minister Ashish Sood ordering a magisterial inquiry and a 30 day action plan . The plan includes wide scale fire safety inspections across hotels, guest houses, nursing homes, coaching institutes, restaurants, and other commercial spaces. Authorities have also ordered immediate sealing of any property exceeding approved capacity.

In a major policy shift, the Delhi government has decided to roll back the Bed and Breakfast policy , with Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra stating that all such licensed establishments will be reviewed. Any property operating beyond six rooms will face licence cancellation. The MCD sealing drive has also intensified across the city.

The tragedy has once again exposed concerns over regulatory failure , with agencies like Delhi Police , MCD , and the Tourism Department previously blaming each other for lapses that allowed the building to operate unchecked.