Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and fire brigade officials will conduct special surveillance drives across hotels, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants during the Christmas and New Year celebrations to ensure strict compliance with fire safety rules, Mayor Firhad Hakim said on Monday. According to Hakim, as thousands of revelers will participate in Christmas and welcoming the New Year, proper fire safety measures should be taken to avert any untoward events that might spoil the spirit of festivity. "If the joint team inspecting nightclubs and restaurants find the fire safety arrangements are not adequate, strict action will be taken," said Hakim.
With the winter festive season just around the corner, preparations have already begun in the city's hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, and bars where various concerts, cultural programs, and parties are organised. For this, the civic authorities and fire services department in Kolkata have decided to conduct special surveillance in these places from this week onwards. The surveillance will continue till the first week of January next year.
According to a KMC official, though the civic body conducts a joint drive in December every year at the city's social clubs, pubs, and nightclubs, this year the drive will be more significant after the inferno at a Goa nightclub which claimed several lives.
According to the KMC official, besides conducting the special drive, the civic body's amusement tax department might cancel permission to be given to different cultural functions and soirees to be organised at the year-end if fire safety arrangements are found to be inadequate. Permission from the civic body is required for any kind of entertainment shows or events during the festive season. A specific entertainment tax must also be paid for this.