GURUGRAM: Going to a
banquet hall to attend a party? Beware, they may not have fire clearance.
An
MCG fire audit, conducted recently, has revealed that several buildings in the city, where thousands of people visit regularly, are operating without a fire clearance. What is shocking is that the MCG office and mini secretariat too have no clearance for the same.
According to MCG officials, inspections were carried out in several public spots that revealed that there are around 62 private banquet halls in the city that are being operated without a fire clearance certificate. "
These places are highly susceptible to incidents of fire, given that cooking and other fire related activities take place frequently. As these venues are crowded during the wedding season, unavailability of fire fighting equipment could be fatal," said a senior MCG official requesting anonymity.
"We have taken congizance of the matter asked these banquet owners to get their fire clearances at the earliest," the official added.
When asked about why their own office and mini secretariat lacks the clearance certificate and what steps are they taking to acquire it, the official said, "Let's not talk about the past. We have started the process and have also asked the deputy commissioner's office to do the same for the mini secretariat."
The audit also revealed that banquet halls have not paid property tax for the past 10 years. Putting the numbers together, the pending tax amount is over a crore.
File Photo
