India, Jan. 15 -- Hong Kong officials on Wednesday proposed expanding oversight of building maintenance projects and stronger fire safety steps after a blaze in November killed at least 161 people and displaced thousands. The blaze that spread across seven towers in an apartment complex raised questions about corruption, negligence and Government oversight in the city's building maintenance projects, piling pressure on Hong Kong leader John Lee's administration and Beijing's "patriots-only" governance system for the city.

In the newly elected legislature's first meeting, Lee said the fire exposed the need for reform and pledged that the investigation by law enforcement agencies and a judge-led independent committee would be thorough. "We...