Restaurant owners to move court against directive to shut down all rooftop outlets
Telegraph | 6 May 2025
Restaurant owners are likely to move court against the directive to shut down all rooftop restaurants across the city, citing safety concerns.
Sources in the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) said a writ petition will be filed in the high court.
“It should come up for hearing in a day or two. One or more affected parties will be the main petitioners. They will be backed by the association,” said one of them.
By affected parties, he meant owners of rooftop establishments.
The raid on a popular south Calcutta lounge on Saturday evening — in which a demolition team from the civic body turned up with men armed with hammers and crowbars — has caused a lot of resentment among restaurateurs. The team left after being resisted by a section of the staff members.
The outdoor sections of rooftop bars and restaurants across Calcutta were mostly shut on Sunday.
Visitors were far and few in between in the indoor sections of the same hangouts. Last Sunday, they were doing brisk business in the afternoon and evening.
Hashtag Kolkata, located on the eighth floor of a building on Chowringhee Road, had its rooftop section closed on Sunday.
“Our rooftop services are not available following the order by the mayor (to shut down rooftop joints),” said a staff member.
Olterra, on Park Street, has also restricted access to its rooftop. The establishment has issued a notice which read: “Balcony closed, sorry for the inconvenience”.
Sunday brunch at Roots in Chowringhee, one of the popular party spots in town, usually draws over 200 people.
This Sunday, it was empty at that time.
“We had to cancel about 200–250 bookings for the Sunday brunch,” a representative of the restaurant said.
When this newspaper visited the premises, only a handful of guests were there in the indoor section.
What’s Up! Café, a bar-cum-lounge on Southern Avenue, also had its outdoor section shut on Sunday.
Bars are not the only ones affected by the crackdown.
Manzilat’s, a popular rooftop restaurant near Ruby Hospital known for its Awadhi cuisine, has also been served a notice to stop operations and demolish illegal portions.
“The restaurant is shut. Bookings have been cancelled. I am still in shock,” said the owner Manzilat Fatima.
Following mayor Firhad Hakim’s announcement on Friday to shut down the rooftop restaurants, Kolkata Police drew up a list of rooftop restaurants. More than 80 such places, with their addresses and numbers of contact persons, featured in the preliminary list.
Most places on the list have been served notices.
The Kasba outlet of Hoppipola, located inside Acropolis Mall, was named on the list.
“We have an al fresco section, but not on the roof. We are on the fourth floor. We have not yet received any formal communication from any government agency,” said a spokesperson for Speciality Restaurants, which owns the chain.
“It was business as usual on Sunday,” the spokesperson said.
The management of Celica Park, where a surprise visit by chief minister Mamata Banerjee — who flagged fire-safety concerns — on Thursday triggered the chain of events targeting rooftop joints, said they were still looking for an alternate location for a gas bank.
On Thursday, rows of LPG cylinders stored on racks in multiple tiers inside the Celica Park compound came to light after Mamata instructed officials to lift iron shutters that covered them. Soon, the cylinders were whisked away by the police.
The cylinders were stacked at the entrance of Park Centre — a 10-storey building housing commercial offices, eateries, and retail stores at Celica Park. The fire services department has asked the management to find another location to store the cylinders.
Portions of the LMNOQ Skybar, on the roof of one of the buildings on the compound, have been razed by the civic body.