The Delhi Police Headquarters building located at ITO is a tinderbox. With zero space for safe movement of the police personnel and their staff, it is imperative that if the common space blocked by the presence of small offices is not removed, the PHQ building will remain a fire hazard. According to a recent letter written by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) to the senior officials of the Delhi Police, encroachment on the common space on various floors of the PHQ building will hamper the evacuation process in case of a massive fire.
Talking to The Pioneer, a senior official of DFS said, "We had issued No Objection Certificate (NOC) to the building housing Delhi Police Headquarters in 2015. The NOC was issued after we found that ample number of fire safety measures have been taken into consideration. There are several fire safety gears like fire extinguishers and emergency exits in case of a fire." However, the building needs a fresh fire safety audit as so many wooden constructions have come up in the open space on floors.
DFS, police sources told The Pioneer that there is only one fire emergency exit which too is congested with old cupboards, almirahs and worn out furniture.
"The major concern is the encroachment on each floor of the PHQ building. Knows as MSO Building, it houses head quarters of Public Works Department (PWD). The common area on the floors has been encroached upon, thereby blocking the free movement especially in a situation of safe evacuation of persons in case of a fire hazard," said police. Apart from the encroachment on the common floor, the letter in possession of The Pioneer states that the "encroachment in front of the service lift needs to be removed. Besides, the Almirah, boxes etc must be removed from the backside stairs (Fire Exit way).
Police sources added that there are plans to shift the senior police officers as construction work is going on to build a new Police Headquarters on the Parliament street.