Despite being declared unsafe by fire department, it’s business as usual at Katriya Hotel

The lumbering nature of bureaucratic machinery is a blessing in disguise for Katriya Hotel in the city as it continues to function even though the fire department had deemed the hotel building unsafe.
Despite being declared unsafe by fire department, it’s business as usual at Katriya Hotel

HYDERABAD: The lumbering nature of bureaucratic machinery is a blessing in disguise for Katriya Hotel in the city as it continues to function even though the fire department had deemed the hotel building unsafe last month.

After the fire accident on January 10, Telangana State Disaster Response and Fire Services department found that the hotel did not possess a No Objection Certificate (NOC)  from the fire department and had non-operational fire fighting equipment.

While the fire department launched a prosecution against the hotel and the matter is sub judice in Nampally Court, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) continues to take its own sweet time to react.

Even though the hotel was declared unsafe and a ‘fire hazard’ unfit for residing by the fire department, till now it has not been shut down by the GHMC. The corporation has given the hotel management one month time to respond to a notice as to why the hotel’s occupancy certificate should not be cancelled. In this one month, the hotel continues to function normally taking up bookings for rooms despite its building being declared unsafe by fire department.

What will GHMC do after a month? A senior GHMC official said that another notice will be sent to the hotel and if it does not reply within the stipulated time or give a satisfactory response, the corporation will decide to cancel occupancy certificate of Katriya Hotel and only after that GHMC will cancel the hotel’s trade licence.

When contacted, a senior official from fire department, said “We have written to the GHMC to shut down the hotel as we do not have the authority for doing that. Until the court pronounces a judgement and the case is cleared, we will not be giving a fire NOC to Katriya Hotel and without NOC, the hotel should not be allowed to function.”

The next hearing in the court on the fire incident is scheduled for March 31. Repeated efforts to get a response from the hotel proved futile.

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