Gurugram, Sept. 24 -- The Gurugram fire department has issued 549 between June and September after a safety survey of 667 paying guest (PG) accommodations found that all of them were operating without mandatory fire clearances and only one had a fire safety system, officials said. The inspections, conducted between June 3 and September 10, found a severe lack of basic safety infrastructure, with only one of the 667 PGs having a fire-fighting system installed, said officials. To be sure, fire-safety requirements for PGs generally include functional extinguishers, alarms and smoke detectors, mandated sprinklers, firefighting water systems, clear emergency exits and a valid fire-safety clearance. The department has so far issued notices to 549 of the 667 PGs identified without fire NOCs, including 200 in the latest action. The remaining 118 PGs are also being sent notices, officials said. No further action has been taken against any of the PGs so far as the department is awaiting their replies. None of the 667 PGs had applied for a fire NOC, officials said. Fire officers warned that strict legal action would be initiated against property owners who fail to rectify the violations and comply with prescribed norms. "Most of these PGs are located in Nathupur, DLF Phase 3 U block, Chakkarpur, Sukhrali, Sectors 17 and 18. More such surveys will be conducted, and the places that have been identified will be inspected. In case they still fail to comply with the norms, legal action will be taken against them," said a senior fire official requesting anonymity. Fire officials said that if PG owners fail to comply, the department will register FIRs against them for allegedly endangering lives. Based on court rulings under the Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act, defaulting property owners may face prosecution, fines and imprisonment of up to three months. HT had reported on September 9 that several PGs in DLF Phase 3, Dundahera and Sector 39 were operating amid overcrowding and building violations. A spot check found several multi-storey facilities without fire extinguishers, sprinklers or exterior fire escapes. Many were also located on narrow, broken access lanes that could hinder fire tenders. The citywide survey was launched after a fatal fire at an illegally run facility in Delhi's Hauz Rani in June killed 23 people, including foreign nationals. Eight members of one family from Gurugram were also killed. Teams have since surveyed residential structures commercially converted into budget accommodations, guesthouses and student hostels. The department also identified 175 coaching centres lacking basic fire safety compliance last year. During the recent survey, 83 were found shut. To be sure, under sections 15, 18 and 19 of the Haryana Fire and Emergency Services Act, 2022, read with Part IV of the National Building Code and the Haryana Building Code, owners and occupiers of specified commercial, institutional and high-rise buildings must provide and maintain prescribed fire-prevention and life-safety systems. These include appropriate fire-fighting installations, alarm and detection systems, water-based fire-fighting arrangements and safe means of escape. Such buildings must obtain approval for their fire-fighting scheme and, after construction and installation of the required systems, secure a fire-safety certificate....