Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta directed immediate sealing of unsafe high-rises following a deadly fire that killed 21 people at a Malviya Nagar bed-and-breakfast on June 3.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta chaired a review meeting at the Secretariat on Friday and instructed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to seal buildings violating norms. She called for drone surveys every three months to update construction records and required all buildings to have openable windows instead of fixed glass. Home Minister Ashish Sood announced that officials found negligent would face personal accountability, including withholding of salaries and pensions under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. He directed the MCD Commissioner to seal constructions exceeding the approved ground-plus-four floors. Lavkesh Bajaj, owner of the Flourish Stay facility, was arrested on Wednesday and booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections for culpable homicide. He had been arrested earlier in January 2025 for facilitating illegal residency of undocumented Bangladeshi nationals using his address for fake documents.