Palam Fire Tragedy: Untrained Crew, Failed Equipment, Lax Regulation – Inquiry Report
A magisterial inquiry into the March 18 fire in a four-storey building in Palam, Delhi, has found that a Bronto Skylift hydraulic crane owned by the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) failed during rescue operations after its boom became entangled in overhead cables and banners. No backup high-reach rescue equipment was available, forcing firefighters to rely on a manual ladder that could not reach the third-floor balcony. The fire killed nine people, including three children.
The report, submitted by District Magistrate (South West) Mekala Chaitanya Prasad to the Home department last month, is now proposed to be placed before the Lieutenant Governor for consideration, officials said.
The inquiry found that the crew assigned to operate the Bronto Skylift had never received formal training from the authorised dealer since the machine was procured in 2006. They learned informally from predecessors, the report said. Maintenance logs showed no prior faults had been reported despite the skylift being used in operations at IGI Airport, Tilak Nagar and Palam during other incidents.
The report also highlighted lapses by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and other agencies. It blamed the MCD for allowing commercial activity on the building's first floor, though the licence permitted commercial use only in the basement and ground floor. The fire probably originated from an MCB box located on the ground and first floor stairs, where around six electrical connections were concentrated. The fire spread rapidly, aggravated by combustible cosmetic stock, the report said. While a short circuit is considered the probable cause, the report noted this cannot be confirmed until the forensic report is received, as the electrical installation was extensively damaged.
The inquiry recommended disciplinary action against MCD licensing inspector Narendra Dabas for failing to check violation of licence conditions and for not removing aerial banners on roads. Firefighters had to manually clear low-hanging cables and banners with the help of local residents before positioning the Bronto Skylift, delaying rescue efforts.
The report also flagged that the assistant electrical inspector who led the inspection had received no technical training since joining the Fire department in 2012. He admitted he had never been able to determine the cause of fire in any of eight to nine prior inspections, a serious capability gap in a statutory technical role, the report highlighted.
Recommendations include setting up a technical expert committee to investigate the Bronto Skylift's failure, ensuring deployment of backup high-rise rescue equipment at major fires, and filling up 853 vacant posts in the Fire department on priority. The report also called for bringing all local cable and Internet service providers under a regulatory framework, making provider name-marking on cables compulsory, and considering road width as a criterion for overhead or underground cabling. Penal action against identified operators and others found culpable was recommended.
On structural safety, the report recommended installing mobile-linked fire alarms in shops, retrofitting windows and balconies, and stricter enforcement of unified building bylaws.
