New Delhi, Sept. 11 -- Of all restaurants, cafes, buildings and other structures in the Satya Niketan and Moti Bagh area that are mandated to obtain a fire safety no-objection certificate (NOC), only three restaurants have an all-clear from the Delhi Fire Service (DFS), officials aware of the matter said.

This is despite an initial survey following Sunday's deadly building collapse identifying at least 20 other multi-storey buildings in the area that appear to require a fire NOC but have never applied for one, officials said. Most of these buildings house paying guests (PGs), hostels and other student accommodation.

Under rules of DFS, structures exceeding the prescribed height threshold of 17.5 metres, eateries with seating capacity of...