Lucknow, Aug 7 The Allahabad High Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to file comprehensive counter affidavits on a PIL related to the Aliganj fire tragedy here, warning that "evasive replies will not be accepted" after it was informed that standard operating procedures on fire safety norms and building regulations were "almost ready".
A Lucknow bench of justices Rajan Roy and Manjive Shukla said the affidavits must address every issue raised in the PIL as well as concerns flagged in its earlier order of July 2.
The direction came after the bench was informed by the state government and the Uttar Pradesh Avas Evam Vikas Parishad that a standard operating procedure (SOP) to strengthen enforcement of fire safety norms and building regulations was "almost ready".
The authorities sought a week's time to place the SOP and their counter affidavits on record.
The bench also questioned whether the exemption under the Uttar Pradesh Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022, under which buildings below 15 metres are not required to obtain fire-safety certificates, needs reconsideration.
The court allowed the parents of some of the victims to intervene in the proceedings.
It directed that copies of all counter affidavits be supplied to the petitioner, amicus curiae and intervenors by August 12. Counsel for the Lucknow Nagar Nigam informed the court that its counter affidavit had already been filed.
The matter has now been posted for further hearing on August 24.
The fire had broken out in a multi-storey building in Aliganj area on June 22, triggering a major firefighting operation and raising concerns over fire safety measures, emergency response and adherence to building safety norms.
In his PIL, Shivendu Pandey had sought an independent and time-bound probe into the incident and requested that the inquiry be monitored by a committee constituted by the high court to ensure fairness and transparency.
The high court on July 2 had sought responses from the Uttar Pradesh government, the Lucknow Development Authority and the state power corporation on the fire tragedy and directed the authorities to place on record an SOP to prevent such incidents in future.
The blaze had exposed alleged lapses in building-use and fire-safety compliance. The court was earlier informed that the premises had been sanctioned for residential use but was being used for commercial purposes.
Despite alleged deviations from the sanctioned building plan, timely action was not taken to stop the unauthorised construction, the court was told.
The bench had also questioned how a commercial electricity connection was provided to the premises despite its sanctioned residential use.
In its earlier proceedings, the court had observed that authorities tend to become active only after tragedies.
