After hotel fire, KMC orders closure of rooftop restaurants in Kolkata

Kolkata: Days after the Kolkata hotel fire that claimed the lives of 14 people, the KMC on Friday ordered the closure of all rooftop restaurants in the city.

Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor and Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim said all the rooftop restaurants will have to be shut down to ensure unhindered access to premises in case of an emergency.

"A roof, being a common space, cannot be sold for commercial purposes," he said.

Asked if the authorities will use force to shut down the rooftop restaurants in Kolkata immediately, Hakim said, "We are issuing notices to them for immediate closure of restaurants on rooftops and shifting such eateries to lower floors of a building or other places. If they fail to comply with the order, we will take appropriate steps." The mayor said a meeting among the municipal commissioner, fire brigade officials and police officers would be held soon to chalk out steps to prevent any recurrence of the April 29 fire incident in future.

A rooftop restaurant in the Park Street area in south Kolkata has already been served a closure notice, an official said.

The KMC is now preparing a report on the number of rooftop restaurants in every borough and will take action, he said.

The mayor said people should remain more conscious and vigilant about safety issues.

Fourteen people were killed in the devastating fire at the Rituraj Hotel at Mechhuapatti in the Burrabazar area.