Online licence renewals sans check turn residential bldgs into hotels
Times of India | 30 August 2026
Kolkata: It is official. A majority of the hotels and guest houses KMC buildings department officials have surveyed since the devastating fire at a Free School Street hotel have flouted the building norms and converted the residential buildings into commercial ones keeping the civic authorities in the dark. However, among the errant owners of such hotels and guest houses, a majority have managed to get their trade licences renewed taking advantage of an online renewal system where KMC licence department has no role but to give approval to such renewals without physical inspection.
According to a KMC buildings department official, the department has sent closure notices to around 250 hotels and guest houses that have violated both the building rules and fire norms. However, this number is grossly negligible compared to the existence of over several thousand hotels and guest houses that are now under the scanner. According to a KMC official, most hotels and guest houses that have flouted building rules and fire safety norms are located in the city’s central business district (CBD).
However, the civic teams are finding it difficult to visit the errant hotels or guest houses within the specified time limit. “If we must prepare a realistic list of hotels and guest houses that may pose a threat to public safety, the number may exceed 4,000. How can we visit these establishments within such a short span?” said a KMC buildings department official. KMC authorities had allotted a week to the department to prepare a preliminary list of hotels that have flouted rules. However, the civic officials are yet to submit a report as they were told to continue with their drive.
KMC’s closure notices apart, several lodges, guest houses and hotels in central Kolkata have voluntarily suspended operations, fearing sudden closure notices from KMC and the state fire department during an ongoing safety audit.
Hotels in and around New Market, including Mirza Ghalib Street, Lindsay Street, Collin Lane, Sudder Street, Marquis Street and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, have stopped taking bookings to avoid the ignominy of asking guests to leave at short notice. The move follows the closure of more than 200 hotels in less than a week (after the fire incident), many of them ordered to shut operations with less than 24 hours’ notice.