NEW DELHI: Two days after the DDMA banned mass gatherings in view of the rising COVID cases in the city, a restaurant in South Delhi's Mehrauli was sealed by authorities on Thursday for allegedly violating the norms. The restaurant named Diablo Qutub Garden was found violating the guidelines, following which a flying squad of the Delhi Police sealed the premises.
According to police officials, the flying squad team went to the restaurant for a surprise inspection when they found around 600 people gathered at the venue for an event. As per the DDMA order, restaurants and bars are allowed to operate with only 50 per cent of their seating capacity.
The owner of the restaurant, Priyank Sukhija, said, "We had an artist singing songs and there were hardly 30-40 people above the 50 per cent seating capacity. It is very sad that when cinemas, trains, metros and other places are following the 100 per cent capacity norm, the restaurants been singled out? However, we will have to abide by the rules. We will wait for the DDMA's decision. Hopefully, we will be able to reopen by next week."
Confirming the incident, Addl DCP (South) Harsh Vardhan said, "There was overcrowding in the restaurant. An FIR has been registered and the premises sealed."