LUCKNOW, July 22 -- The massive fire at the Jawahar Bhawan complex at Ashok Marg in Lucknow on Monday has raised serious questions over fire safety compliance after it emerged that the government building had been served a notice by the fire department nearly a year before the incident. Besides, the department issued as many as 19 notices to the building over the past over one-and-half-decades. "As many as 19 notices have been issued to the building between 2009 and 2025. We will send another notice and a report will be sent to higher officials seeking action if the person in charge of the building fails to comply," Lucknow CFO Ankush Mittal told HT. Official records also show that on July 30, 2025, the fire department pointed out multiple deficiencies during an inspection. "These included the absence of an automatic sprinkler system and an automatic smoke management (smoke extraction) system, both considered critical for containing fires and ensuring safe evacuation," said a senior fire officer wishing not to be named. "The notice also flagged inadequate emergency exits and directed the building management to rectify the shortcomings in accordance with fire safety norms," the officer added. The deficiencies remained unresolved when the fire broke out on Monday, prompting fresh scrutiny over whether compliance lapses contributed to the scale of the incident....