Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday issued a notification permitting restaurants to operate on rooftops.
The notification sets certain terms and conditions for restaurant owners, which include getting permissions to operate on terraces of malls and commercial buildings, residential hotels and lodges, and not causing nuisance to the building’s occupants. The owner cannot claim the terrace area as a habitable commercial area approved by the BMC while submitting any redevelopment proposal in future.
Cooking with liquefied petroleum gas or on open flame will not be allowed on the terrace, and the timings for serving food shall be as per provisions of the Police Act and Shops and Establishment Act. There should not be any residential building up to 10 metres from the edge of the terrace for which the licence has been issued. Restaurant owners will have to obtain no objection certificates from the chief fire officer.
Long-pending demand
Adarsh Shetty, president of the Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHAR), said, “Finally, the rooftop restaurant policy has come through. We are really happy that the BMC has passed this proposal which AHAR and the Hotel & Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) had been pursuing for years. We are really thankful to all the authorities for understanding our industry and listening to the requests for years.”
HRAWI president Dilip Datwani said the notification would unlock the huge potential that terraces offer as leisure or recreational spaces. “Skybars and rooftop cafes are an emerging trend around the world, and Mumbai, despite being the commercial capital of India, lacked a policy on this,” Mr. Datwani said. He said the notification would be welcomed by Mumbaikars and tourists.
— With IANS inputs