The Pune Municipal Corporation has sealed 21 private hostels in Lohgaon and Nimbalkar Nagar after inspections found that the buildings lacked required fire-safety systems and several municipal permissions. The action followed a city-wide fire audit of private hostels, hospitals and coaching classes that began against the backdrop of a building collapse involving a hostel in New Delhi, according to a report by Loksatta – Pune.
The inspections were led by Ganesh Sonune, head of the Pune Municipal Corporation’s fire department. Municipal teams surveyed hostels in different parts of the city over three days and found that some buildings had no permanent or temporary fire-safety arrangements. The administration said the deficiencies created a serious risk of loss of life and property in the event of a fire.
The sealed properties included three- and four-storey buildings where more than 100 students and female students were living in some locations. The municipal action was taken after officials found that the hostels were operating without the fire audit required from the civic fire department. The report said municipal authorities had previously instructed private hostels and coaching classes in the city to comply with the requirement.
The inspections also found that the concerned buildings did not have various permissions from the municipal corporation’s building department. Officials said the properties lacked clearances or no-objection certificates linked to drainage, the gardens department, property tax and the fire department. The absence of these permissions became an additional basis for sealing the hostels.
The action is part of a wider inspection drive that is continuing in Narhe, Ambegaon, Katraj and other parts of Pune. Municipal Commissioner Naval Kishore Ram directed officials to inspect and take action against hostels operating without the required approvals, the report said. The ongoing checks place the city’s rapidly expanding student-accommodation market under scrutiny, particularly in areas where multiple students are housed in compact multi-storey buildings.
The inspections highlight the role of municipal approvals in determining whether private accommodation can safely operate as a residential facility. Fire-safety equipment, building permissions and departmental clearances are intended to establish whether a property can accommodate residents and provide emergency access and evacuation safeguards. In the cases sealed so far, the municipal administration said these requirements had not been met.
The Pune Municipal Corporation has not announced a reopening timeline for the 21 hostels in the supplied report. Further inspections are expected to continue across the city, including in Narhe, Ambegaon and Katraj, as the fire department examines additional private hostels and other high-occupancy premises.
