New Delhi: A Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee has urged the apex court to order a fresh crackdown on non-conforming commercial activities operating from unsafe buildings across Delhi.In a report submitted to the court recently, the committee has sought an end to the policy allowing mixed-use and commercial activities in residential buildings under the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) master plans, recommending withdrawal of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) circulars permitting social functions in temporary structures set up at motels, hotels, farmhouses and some residential areas.DDA did not comment on the issue.In its submission before the SC, the committee observed that once a building has been sanctioned for a particular use by the competent authority, any subsequent change in land use is “wholly impermissible” and amounts to “fraud on the system.”Giving examples of violations at prominent markets in Delhi as well as fire incident at guest house in Malviya Nagar in which 21 people lost their lives, the committee said all local bodies should conduct surveys to identify non-conforming commercial activities operating from unsafe buildings and initiate coercive action wherever applicable. Referring to Malviya Nagar and Lucknow coaching centre fires, the committee said precious lives could have been saved had prescribed fire safety norms been followed.As per the 2016 building bye-laws, unsafe buildings are structurally unsafe, insanitary or not provided with adequate means of exit or which constitute a fire hazard or are otherwise dangerous to human life.Talking about Khan Market, the report said restaurants in the market were not following norms regarding exit. “Similar is the case in other upscale markets like Sunder Nagar, Defence Colony, Greater Kailash, South Extension. Green Park, Hauz Khas, Outram Lines (Kingsway Camp), Model Town, Rajinder Nagar etc,” the report stated.A senior MCD official said the civic body is already conducting a survey of unauthorised constructions and illegal commercial use of residential areas. “The report is being submitted to the court on a regular basis,” the official said.The committee also requested the court to direct Delhi Fire Service to carry out random inspections and reassessments to ensure that fire safety systems remain functional in buildings that have already been issued fire safety certificates.The report mentioned that institutional, assembly, educational, and industrial buildings are supposed to have stringent exit requirements. Even the guesthouses and hotels placed in the category of residential occupancy have different fire safety, egress norms in comparison to low height residential buildings but were hardly followed, the report said.It has asked the Delhi government to review its bed and breakfast policy to prevent misuse of the scheme by converting residential properties into full-fledged hotels.