After 24 years, DDA's Vikas Minar finally gets fire safety clearance

After years of delays and repeated rejections, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has finally obtained a fire no-objection certificate (NOC) for its main office, Vikas Minar. The certificate, issued for a period of three years, comes after the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) confirmed that the building now meets the necessary safety standards, The Times of India reported.

In an official letter dated August 6, DFS informed the DDA that Vikas Minar was “fit for business occupancy,” provided the authority continues to follow all fire safety conditions. This is the first time since 2001 that the building has received such clearance. In the years between, every inspection had flagged problems, stopping the renewal of the NOC. The most recent rejection came in April 2025, when DFS noted that safety issues identified back in 2022 were still unresolved.

According to the NOC, Vikas Minar, which consists of a basement, a ground floor, and 22 upper floors, was last issued a fire safety clearance in January 2001. Recently, on July 23, DFS officers re-inspected the premises in the presence of fire consultants and DDA engineers. They found that the building now complies with the fire prevention and safety requirements under the Delhi Fire Services Rules, 2010. The certificate is valid from August 6 for three years under Rule 36.

However, DFS clarified that the certificate is conditional. "Any loss of life or property due to non-functional fire safety measures shall be the responsibility of the management, and any deviation in the construction shall be verified by the concerned building sanctioning authority," the department noted.

Vikas Minar, constructed in 1976, was the first building in Delhi to exceed the height of Qutab Minar. It houses offices of several DDA departments and is visited daily by many people. During a June 2022 inspection, DFS had reported serious lapses: unsealed electrical shafts, non-functional smoke detectors on certain floors, and poor sprinkler coverage. Additionally, staircases and lift lobbies were cluttered with furniture and storage items, creating potential hazards.

Despite being Delhi’s main housing development agency, DDA had struggled for years to secure fire safety clearance for its own headquarters, a fact that had drawn criticism from locals and visitors alike.

Notably, Vikas Minar is not the only DDA building to get a clearance this year. On July 7, the DDA’s headquarters at INA Colony in south Delhi also received a fire NOC after six years. That certificate, also valid for three years, came with strict conditions, such as removing basement encroachments within three months or risking cancellation. The clearance covers Blocks A, B, and D, which are mainly three floors high, except for part of Block B that has seven floors. All the blocks share a common basement.