What happened
A 13-hour fire at Sethi Complex in Jaipur's Walled City in September 2026 gutted close to 25 shops and godowns, causing an estimated ₹25 crore in losses. Fire crews found a hydrant non-functional and obstructed, narrow and blocked passages that slowed their access, and police say the building did not have a valid fire NOC. Two Jaipur Municipal Corporation fire officials were suspended and an FIR was registered against the building's owner, while a high-level committee was asked to examine whether the fire-fighting systems on record were actually working.
What this means for you
A commercial building that has traded for decades, has active shops, paying tenants and a functioning electricity connection can still be operating without a valid fire NOC or with fire-fighting equipment that only exists on paper. Fire NOC status and actual working condition of hydrants, extinguishers and fire exits are not things a running business or a long trading history can prove — they have to be checked and confirmed separately, and the cost of not checking falls on whoever is inside the building if something goes wrong, not on whoever built it or let compliance lapse.
Red flags and common frauds
- A landlord or seller who can show a trade licence or electricity bill but not a current fire NOC certificate.
- Fire extinguishers, hydrants or emergency exits that are present but visibly rusted, expired, blocked by stock, or otherwise not usable in practice.
- Narrow, cluttered or partially blocked stairwells and passages, especially in older multi-storey commercial buildings.
- Being told "this building has never had a problem in years" as a reason not to check current compliance.
- Rooftop or upper-floor construction (restaurants, storage, extra floors) that looks unauthorised or doesn't match the sanctioned building plan.
How to verify, step by step
- Ask the owner or landlord for the building's current fire NOC certificate and check its validity date, not just that one was issued at some point in the past.
- Physically check that hydrants, fire extinguishers and emergency lighting are present, unobstructed and within their service or refill date.
- Confirm that staircases, corridors and fire exits are not blocked by stock, furniture or unauthorised construction.
- For any rooftop structure or additional floor, ask whether it has separate approval, since unauthorised additions are a common cause of blocked exits and overloaded electrical systems.
- If you cannot get a straight answer on fire NOC status, you can independently check or raise a query with Jaipur Municipal Corporation's fire branch before signing an agreement.
- If you notice a non-functional hydrant, blocked exit or expired safety equipment in a building you already use, report it to Jaipur Municipal Corporation rather than assuming it has already been flagged.
- Don't treat a long, uneventful trading history as proof of safety — enforcement and inspection gaps can go unnoticed for years before an incident exposes them.