Delhi Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Act, 1986
No: 56 Dated: Dec, 12 1986
THE DELHI FIRE PREVENTION AND FIRE SAFETY ACT, 1986
ACT NO. 56 OF 1986
An Act to make more effective provision for the fire prevention and fire safety measures in certain buildings and premises in the Union Territory of Delhi.
BE it enacted by Parliament in the Thirty-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows:—
1. Short title, extent and commencement.—(1) This Act may be called the Delhi Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Act, 1986.
(2) It extends to the whole of the Union Territory of Delhi.
(3) It shall come into force on such date as the Central Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, appoint.
2. Definitions.—In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires,—
(a) “Administrator” means the Administrator of Delhi appointed by the President under article 239 of the Constitution;
(b) “Appellate Tribunal” means the Appellate Tribunal constituted under section 347A of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 (66 of 1957);
(c) “building” means a house, outhouse, stable, latrine, urinal, shed, hut, wall (other than a boundary wall) or any other structure, whether of masonry, bricks, wood, mud, metal or other material;
(d) “building bye-laws”, means the bye-laws made under section 282 of the Cantonments Act, 1924 (2 of 1924) or the bye-laws made under section 481 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 (66 of 1957) or the bye-laws made under section 188, sub-section (3) of section 189 and sub-section (1) of section 190 of the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 (Punjab Act III of 1911), as in force in New Delhi or the regulations made under sub-section (1) of section 57 of the Delhi Development Act, 1957 (61 of 1957), relating, to buildings;
(e) “Chief Fire Officer” means the Chief Fire Officer appointed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi established under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 (66 of 1957);
(f) “Delhi” mean the Union Territory of Delhi;
(g) “fire prevention and fire safety measures” means such measures as are necessary in accordance with the building bye-laws for the prevention, control and fighting of fire and for ensuring the safety of life and property in case of fire;
(h) “local authority” means the Delhi Cantonment Board established under the Cantonments Act, 1924 (2 of 1924), the Delhi Development Authority established under the Delhi Development Act, 1957 (61 of 1957), the Delhi Municipal Corporation established under the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957 (66 of 1957), the New Delhi Municipal Committee established under the Punjab Municipal Act, 1911 (Punjab Act III of 1911), as in force in New Delhi or any other authority under any other law, which may be notified in this behalf by the Administrator with the prior approval of the Central Government;
(i) “nominated authority” means an Officer not below the rank of a Station Officer nominated by the Chief Fire Officer, and includes an officer nominated by a local authority or a railway administration as a nominated authority for the purposes of this Act;
(j) “occupier” includes—
(i) any person who for the time being is paying or the liable to pay to the owner the rent or any portion of the rent of the land or building in respect of which such rent is paid or is payable;
(ii) an owner in occupation of, or otherwise using his land or building;
(iii) a rent-free tenant of any land or building;
(iv) a licensee in occupation of any land or building; and
(v) any person who is liable to pay to the owner damages for the use and occupation of any land or building;
(k) “owner” includes a person who for the time being is receiving or is entitled to receive, the rent of any land or building whether on his own account or on account of himself and others or as an agent, trustee, guardian or receiver or any other person or who should so receive the rent or be entitled to receive it if the land or building or part thereof were let to a tenant and also includes—
(i) the custodian of evacuee property in respect of evacuee property vested in him under the Administration of Evacuee Property Act, 1950 (31 of 1950);
(ii) the Director of Estates of the Government of India, the Secretary of the Delhi Development Authority, constituted under the Delhi Development Act, 1957 (61 of 1957), the general manager of a railway and the head of a Government department, in respect of properties under their respective control;
(l) “premises” means any land or any building or part of a building appurtenant thereto which is used for storing explosives, explosive substances and dangerously inflammable substances.
Explanation.—In this clause, “explosive”, “explosive substances” and “dangerously inflammable substances” shall have the meanings, respectively, assigned to them in the Explosives Act, 1884 (4 of 1884), the Explosive Substances Act, 1908 (5 of 1908), and the Inflammable Substances Act, 1952 (20 of 1952).