India, June 24 -- LUCKNOW The Aliganj fire tragedy in Lucknow that claimed 15 lives has once again exposed glaring gaps in the enforcement of safety norms in commercial establishments. While stringent safety regulations, mandatory audits and multiple no-objection certificates (NoCs) exist on paper, traders and professionals allege that many of these safeguards can be bypassed with the payment of "suvidha shulk" (facilitation fees), reducing compliance to a "transactional exercise" rather than a protective measure.

The incident has reignited questions over the effectiveness of the NoC, regulatory oversight and whether inspections are genuinely aimed at ensuring public safety or have become tools of harassment, delay and rent-seeking.

How...