An alert for pub-hoppers in the city — several pubs and restaurants here share their condition with the rooftop restaurant in Mumbai which had caught fire more than a year ago, killing 14 persons.
Most often than not, they are woefully lacking in structural stability, and built using highly inflammable material, an inspection by GHMC has revealed. To top it all, they have no required permissions whatsoever from the GHMC or any other government agency.
GHMC Khairatabad Zonal Commissioner Musharraf Ali Farooqi, along with his team, inspected many such establishments in Jubilee Hills and discovered irregularities galore. “The purpose of my visit to the pubs, restaurants and other commercial establishments on Road Nos. 36 and 45, was to check the need for conversion from residential to commercial category, if any. What I found there were flagrant violations in every possible way,” Mr. Farooqi said.
Most of the pubs were being run from rooftops, and built using steel frames, with no guarantee of structural stability. Inflammable material such as wood, bamboo, dry grass and foam went into the construction. Majority of them lacked trade licences, a mandatory requirement to run any commercial establishment in the city. Of the 22 pubs and restaurants inspected by Mr.Farooqi, valid trade licences could be produced with respect to only three.
“Some of them produced provisional licences which are not valid. We are going to serve notices on all of them, giving one week’s time to come up with documents. If they fail to comply, we will take action against them. They are putting people’s lives at risk,” said Mr. Farooqi.
Temporary/ provisional licences are issued when the outlets apply for trade licences, with the validity of three months. Permanent licence is issued only after submission of all the required documents, including valid Occupancy Certificate issued by GHMC, and ownership document. The owners should also show documents certifying provision of parking space. Mr. Farooqi says, majority of the pubs and restaurants on Road No. 45 lacked parking space, owing to which the road is occupied by vehicles on both sides.
“Fifteen of them were being run on terraces, most of them without building permissions, constructed on additional floors beyond the permitted limit. They are not even eligible to apply for trade licence now, as they cannot obtain building permission,” says Mr.Farooqi.
Admitting that lack of vigilance resulted in such violations, he said action will be taken against officials too who have been condoning them for so long.