KOLKATA: Two days after fifteen people, including two children, were killed in a devastating hotel fire in central Kolkata, the city Municipal Corporation has announced a complete ban on rooftop restaurants and commercial setups atop buildings across the city.
Under Building Rule 117/4, the KMC will issue formal notices to rooftop restaurant owners, instructing them to shut down operations immediately. If defied, strict legal action will follow.
The rule states that every terrace on the topmost storey of any building shall have common access and shall not be subdivided.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim emphasised the importance of citizen responsibility in ensuring urban safety. “The administration alone can’t be held accountable for everything. Today, we’re making it clear that no one can sell rooftops or staircases. Rooftop cafés and illegal constructions will no longer be tolerated,” he stated.
A high-level committee comprising all key departments has been formed on the orders of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The committee will meet on Monday and Tuesday and submit a detailed report within 15 days.
The mayor also warned against illegal godowns and unauthorized commercial use of dharamshalas, promising strict legal action in the coming days to ensure that public safety is not compromised.
The mayor’s concern about the mushrooming of rooftop cafés and eateries across the city comes within a fortnight of a massive fire breaking out inside a now-closed rooftop food-and-drink joint on the busy Camac Street.
Within 72 hours of that incident, another fire broke out in the food court of Acropolis Mall in Kasba, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of people working in the office complex of the 21-storeyed building.
Senior KMC officials said on Friday that the mayor had presided over a meeting to discuss the rising number of rooftop cafés in the city.
“A team of officials will survey commercial establishments, including cafés and eateries that have come up on rooftops. The team will examine the facilities available in the kitchens and check the clearances that the owners have secured to run such establishments on rooftops,” a senior KMC official said.
Officials added that the mayor was displeased about several rooftop establishments springing up without the KMC’s knowledge and had instructed them to submit a report within a week.
Senior fire department officials said the basic prerequisite for granting fire clearance was to ensure that the rooftop had enough space for visitors to assemble in case of an emergency before taking the exit route.