Rooftop restos to be shut down if found flouting bldg rules: KMC
Times of India | 3 May 2025
12 Kolkata: Rooftop restaurants in the city that block off access to the terrace in defiance of Kolkata Municipal Corporation building rules would be shut down, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Friday.
Kolkata has around 800 restaurants that use their rooftops and terraces, according to the National Restaurants' Association of India Kolkata chapter.
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Hakim said the civic body would check ward-wise records and issue notices to all such restaurants. "To ensure fire safety, we don't have any option but to shut rooftop restaurants. But first, we will approach the owners to take early and effective steps on their own. If they don't fall in line, we need to enforce the rules to shut them down without delay," the mayor said. The move will bring multiple terrace resto pubs and lounges in the city under civic glare.
KMC building rules say every terrace on the topmost floor of buildings must have common access and shall not be subdivided. Besides, under no circumstances can a builder sell a terrace or allow anyone to set up any infrastructure without KMC's approval.
Hakim said terraces should be used as fire refuge. "We should take lessons from the fire (at a rooftop eatery) that broke out on Park Street last June. I still shudder to think of the unfortunate deaths when fire engulfed Stephen Court and people trapped inside found the door to the terrace locked," he said. During his ‘Talk to Mayor' programme, Hakim often receives complaints from residents of builders selling off rooftop spaces keeping them in the dark.The sudden KMC directive came as a ‘shock' to many rooftop restaurant owners and the NRAI. "Rooftop restaurants were allowed to function for many years. Now, suddenly, they are being asked to shut shop. We are waiting for the KMC notification and expect to reach an acceptable solution. These restaurants employ thousands, and it would be a blow for the entire food and beverages sector in Kolkata, which has grown exponentially over the last two decades," said an NRAI official.
The owner of a popular rooftop restaurant on Southern Avenue has decided to wait and watch until the official notification reaches them. "This is shocking, to say the least. We got all the necessary clearances and permissions to run the rooftop portion. It is hugely popular, and we remain packed almost every evening. Now, suddenly, the civic authorities can't decide that roofs and terraces are out of bounds. There could be new regulations, but shutting them all down is unfair. We employ around 20 people to serve at the portion, and now they could lose their jobs. There are thousands of restaurant employees who face similar uncertainty," said the owner of the restaurant.