The Delhi government has issued a proposal to extend the implementation of Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025 by three more months, after receiving only few applications from private fire safety auditors, officials said on Sunday.
Approval Process for Proposal Moves Forward
The proposal is set to be forwarded to Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu for approval. An official confirmed that upon receiving approval, a new gazette notification will be issued to extend the deadline.
“Under the amended rules, the Delhi Fire Service is no longer empowered to inspect buildings and issue or renew fire safety certificates. “Issuing a fire safety certificate is a highly sensitive responsibility. If a fire or any mishap occurs in a building certified as ‘compliant’, the third-party auditor could face scrutiny and may be held accountable. Many professionals appear to be wary of this liability,” another official explained.
The Delhi government notified the Delhi Fire Service (Amendment) Rules, 2025, on May 26 this year, introducing a framework where empanelled private auditors would inspect buildings and issue or renew fire safety certificates. the provisions for third-party audits were set to become operational 90 days after the gazette notification While the amended rules took effect immediately. The department is only processing applications received until August 24 this year,” a senior fire service official said. The DFS invited applications for empanelment of third-party auditors on July 2.
Officials said the response has been “feeble” despite the department subsequently issuing a public notice encouraging eligible professionals to apply. Officials said one of the reasons for the lack of interest could be the high level of responsibility and potential liability associated with the assignment.
