20 of 83 closed rooftop eateries apply for reopening to Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Telegraph | 15 September 2025
Of the 83 rooftop bars, lounges, and restaurants that were closed in May, merely 20 have applied to the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) for permission to reopen till Sunday, even though they were granted the go-ahead to commence operations with certain stipulations around a fortnight ago.
A KMC official said that they anticipated an increase in the number of owners presenting indemnity bonds and applications for reopening.
On August 27, a committee comprising ministers and senior officials from the state government concluded that lounges, bars, and cafes would be permitted to reopen, provided they submit an indemnity bond that guarantees compliance with specific measures within a three-month time-frame.
Officials of the KMC had then said that, with the festive season approaching, they did not want the establishments to remain shut, but the owners must also make changes within a reasonable period of time.
“Only about 20 bars, lounges, and cafes that had been shut down have applied to reopen. We have permitted them to reopen. Permission has yet to be given to one of the establishments that went to court against us. We are seeking legal advice on whether we can permit that establishment with an ongoing court case,” said a KMC official.
Owners of some establishments that have been shut down told Metro on Sunday that fulfilling some of the conditions mentioned in the standard operating procedure (SOP) will take some time.
“We will submit the indemnity bonds and the applications to reopen only when we are sure that we can adhere to the conditions within three months,” said an owner.
Some pointed out a regulation that forbids the use of gas cylinders, requiring that all cooking be performed with electric ovens.
“This will lead to a need for a higher electricity load, since the influx during weekends is such that we cannot serve food without boosting the electricity capacity,” said the owner of a rooftop bar.
Abhimanyu Maheswari, head of the Calcutta chapter of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said that all the establishments were “following due diligence, which is why it is taking time to reopen the establishments”.
Eighty-three such establishments had been issued a “stop operations” notice by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) in May, following an announcement by mayor, Firhad Hakim, about a shutdown of the establishments.
The crackdown began after chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the fire-ravaged Rituraj Hotel in central Calcutta on April 30. The blaze killed 14 people on April 29, prompting Mamata to demand strict fire safety compliance from the business community.
The 83 establishments that received “stop operations” notices included some that were on lower floors, but according to KMC officials, the joints had encroached on spaces for fire refuge.
The new standard operating procedures, prepared by a panel of ministers and officials, say that at least 50% of any rooftop must remain completely clear of structures.
Establishments cannot occupy the road-facing portion of terraces and must remain accessible for emergency evacuations. This ensures the fire department’s hydraulic ladders can reach people during emergencies.
“The hydraulic ladder may not get access to the back of a building. The ladder will be of no use if the front portion is encroached,” Hakim, one of the members of the committee, said while releasing the SOP.
The state government plans to enact legislation preventing the sale of terrace portions. Entire terraces will become common rights for all building residents and tenants, said Hakim.
The 50% clearance rule applies only to existing structures. No new rooftop construction will be permitted.