90% of rooftop restaurants in Bengaluru flout fire safety rules

Bengaluru: Ninety per cent of rooftop restaurants in Bengaluru flout fire safety rules, according to a physical inspection carried out by the fire department in November, a remarkable statistic that shows how such establishments are sitting ducks for tragedies.

The fire department inspected 787 rooftop restaurants, resto bars and pubs between October 19 and November 27. 

Insufficient fire equipment topped the list of violations followed by non-compliance with fire schematic drawings and non-existent proper exit points. In many cases, the establishments didn’t possess trade licences, said Dr Yunus Ali Kauser, a deputy director in the fire department. 

The inspection by the fire department was prompted by a fire accident at Mudpipe Cafe near Tavarekere in southern Bengaluru in October. 

"We will continue to inspect these establishments for fire safety violations," Kamal Pant, Director General of Police and Director General of the Fire and Emergency Services, told DH. 

The fire department has submitted a report to the BBMP, which is considering linking trade licences with fire department No Objection Certificate (NOCs). Rooftop restaurants will not be given trade licences unless they obtain fire NOCs, well-placed sources said. 

The fire department and the BBMP are said to have held several meetings on this but it's not clear when the rule will come into force. 

According to the Karnataka Fire Force Act, a NOC from the fire department is needed only for high-rise buildings (21 metres or above). Previously, it was for buildings which were 50 metres and above. 

Kauser explained that while a building higher than 21 metres must take a fire NOC, rooftop restaurants don't have to take it separately. 

According to the fire department, fire safety violations are rampant because of general negligence, lack of awareness, real-estate growth, high cost of living and lifestyle changes. 

“Real estate has grown monumentally in the past decade. The price for a piece of land has shot up substantially, which forces builders to gain profit out of every inch of land,” a senior official said. 

For example, a 15-18-metre-high building should have six metres of setback, those with 18-20 metres should have a 7-metre setback and so on. To recover the money spent on setbacks, builders take illegal routes, he said. 

While well-established brands follow rules because they serve a niche group of customers, smaller establishments violate them as they serve a variety of customers, especially the middle class. 

According to the official, these establishments are unlikely to follow all the fire safety rules because they are "overly strict". 

“The existing fire safety norms are impractical given the way the city has grown. If the fire NOC is made mandatory, more illegal establishments may come up because it would be impossible to follow the rules,” the official said. 

Even if some establishments take the NOC, they will try to find ways to meet the customers' demands, leading to fire safety violations, he added. 

The official called for amending fire safety laws "in keeping with the times" but said the civic body should conduct regular inspections and crack down on the violators. 

The fire department doesn't have the means to shutter the establishments that violate the rules even if it's given the powers to do so, Pant said.