Illegal joints' list goes missing

Sources told Deccan Herald that a list was prepared some time back by the BBMP and the Palike’s East Zone was ready with the list. As pubs and restaurants in open air were causing nuisance much to the inconvenience of the residents of the area, the BBMP had issued a guideline recently that licences given to all such hotels and food joints would not be renewed. Licences of many such pubs running on the terrace of the buildings were not renewed.

Many hoteliers have challenged the order.  After the fire tragedy at the NYX’s Elite Club, the BBMP East Zone officials woke up to take a relook at the list of illegally running pubs. However, the list seems to have gone missing.

When the BBMP’s East Zone health officer was contacted he said he was not aware of any such survey.  However, his office employees  said the list had been sent to the Engineering Department.

When the local assistant executive engineer was contacted, he said the engineering department was nowhere connected to the illegally run pubs, bars and hotels. “How can we be held responsible or why the list should be sent to us when we are not the licencing authority?

It is the primary job of Health Department to keep a tab on hotels or motels running illegally,” said the engineer. From the statements given by the BBMP officials, it is becoming clear that neither the health department nor the engineering department has the list. The question now is where has the list gone?