Kolkata, Dec 24 Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim has directed the state fire services department to conduct special inspections at nightclubs before the New Year's Eve celebrations.
The move from the civic body comes in the wake of a recent fire incident in Goa, which claimed 25 lives.
In a bid to prevent any possibility of fire incidents in the city during this festive season, the Kolkata Mayor has written to the fire department requesting them to inspect the safety infrastructure of every rooftop restaurant, bar, nightclub, and hotel.
On Wednesday, Mayor Firhad Hakim said that the inspections were ordered to check whether the rooftop restaurants were operating according to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). He stated that 83 restaurants have been inspected so far, and all of them are following the SOPs. "However, I have written to the fire department. I have requested them to monitor whether small and large hotels, restaurants, bars and nightclubs, in addition to rooftop establishments, are following the SOPs during this festive season," said Hakim.
Earlier this year, a fire broke out in a hotel in Kolkata's Mechua Fruit Market area, resulting in the death of 14 people. This incident had put considerable pressure on the KMC, the police and the state administration.
Following the incident, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself raided several rooftop restaurants in the Park Street area. She found a lack of proper infrastructure during her inspection. Subsequently, rooftop bars and restaurants in Kolkata were shut down, and illegal constructions were demolished.
After lengthy discussions, rooftop restaurants were conditionally allowed to reopen before the Durga Puja festival. However, despite being instructed to develop the necessary infrastructure and implement guidelines within a specific timeframe, authorities claimed that recent police and municipal raids revealed that this had not been done. Many restaurant owners have since been warned, and authorities have issued a stern warning to implement the guidelines promptly, including the installation of proper fire safety measures.
In this situation, a recent devastating fire in a nightclub in Goa has raised concerns for the municipal administration. Therefore, it has been decided that not only rooftop establishments but also all other small and large hotels, restaurants and especially the bars and nightclubs that are expected to be crowded during the Christmas and New Year festivities, should have their fire safety infrastructure inspected by the fire department immediately.
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