LUCKNOW, June 5 -- Hazratganj is the nerve centre of Uttar Pradesh. Within a few kilometres lie the offices from where the state is governed, residences of senior bureaucrats and ministers, key police establishments and the office of the chief fire officer-the first point of contact whenever a fire emergency is reported in the city. Security personnel, police officers and government officials crisscross these roads every day, making it one of the most monitored and visible parts of Lucknow. Yet, hidden in plain sight amid this corridor of power is another reality. Coaching institutes packed into commercial buildings, restaurants operating from basements, hotels tucked inside narrow lanes and markets crowded with shoppers continue to function with glaring fire-safety concerns. An HT ground report across Hazratganj, covering several areas from Point Zero (GPO) and its adjoining localities, found multiple instances of blocked exits, single-entry buildings, congested access routes and establishments operating in spaces where evacuation during an emergency could prove challenging. If such vulnerabilities exist in the state's most watched administrative hub, what might be the state of fire safety in the rest of the city? Stretching less than a kilometre, Naval Kishore Marg is one of Lucknow's busiest coaching and shopping hubs. But behind the bustle lies a potential fire trap. At the centre stands Prince Complex, home to the sprawling Prince Market. More than 100 garment shops operate from its basement and ground floor, while coaching institutes function on the upper levels. Four years after a fire in the building triggered a massive rescue operation involving around 30 students, little appears to have changed. Though a fire-fighting system was installed following the incident, it was found non-functional during HT's visit. Shops continue to operate from the cramped basement while hundreds of students attend classes above. Just 50 metres away, Mirza Tower and KB Plaza present an equally alarming picture. Though there are separate structures above ground, their basements merge into a single marketplace. Then there is Love Lane, housing over 100 garment shops, eateries and offices with a common entry and exit point. Fire safety equipment was conspicuous by its absence, while tangled electrical wiring hung across the premises. Mirza Tower houses a coaching institute on the first floor and a girls' hostel on the floors above. Next door, KB Plaza's basement contains a momo outlet with an operational kitchen, while a library functions on the first floor and a family resides on the top floor. As the HT team moved into the narrow, bustling lanes of Narahi-an area that has gradually transformed from a residential neighbourhood into a dense commercial hub-it found a maze of lodges, hostels and budget hotels operating from converted houses. Many of these two and three-storey buildings are located on lanes so narrow that even two-wheelers struggle to pass each other, leaving no chance for a fire tender to reach the spot during an emergency. One such establishment, a hotel, was found operating with a staircase barely four feet wide serving as the sole access to the upper floors. There was no separate emergency exit or visible fire-safety infrastructure. Similar conditions prevailed across several nearby lodges and hostels. HT also found multiple libraries functioning from building basements, adding to concerns over evacuation in the event of a fire. The combination of congested access roads, mixed land use and inadequate escape routes paints a worrying picture in one of the city's busiest localities. Indira Bhavan houses several government offices.During the ground check inside the building, HT found that fire-fighting buckets were missing from almost every floor. At several locations, only the metal stands meant to hold the buckets were present. On some floors, where three buckets were supposed to be installed, only one bucket was found. On the fourth and fifth floors, HT found that the lone bucket placed on a three-bucket stand was filled with gutka wrappers and spit residue instead of sand. On several other floors, fire safety equipment was found pushed into extreme corners and covered with waste materials. At Jawahar Bhavan, adjacent to Indira Bhavan, fire safety equipment appeared either inaccessible or poorly maintained. The next visit was to Shri Ram Tower, known as one of the city's major hubs for mobile phone sales and repair businesses. The six-storey building also has a basement and houses dozens of shops dealing with electronic goods and repair work. During the visit, several fire extinguishers were found to have crossed their validity period, while expiry stickers on many others were torn or unreadable. Fire hose nozzles were found entangled in electrical wiring. HT also found that overhead sprinkler systems in several sections of the building were covered with hanging wires. In some places, the sprinkler heads themselves were obstructed. Although the building has multiple entry and exit points, many of the passages are narrow, which could hamper evacuation. At a commercial complex near Burlington Chauraha, HT found additional shortcomings. The complex has a basement where several shops were operating. However, no fire sprinklers or fire extinguishers were found in the basement. The visit also covered the Naka area, known for its concentration of electrical goods markets, hotels, banquet halls, narrow lanes and congested construction, leaving little room for fire tenders and emergency vehicles to manoeuvre. Many of the buildings stand wall-to-wall with virtually no gap between structures. During the visit, several establishments were found operating with expired fire extinguishers. Despite a fire at Garbar Jhala in 2023, no lessons have been learnt. Due to narrow lanes, fire departments have kept one fire tender on standby near Jhandewala Park, but it may be of little help in case of a big fire....