Hotel fire impact: Bengal govt mulling SOPs for all rooftop eateries

Kolkata, May 8 (IANS) The state government is considering issuing Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for all rooftop eateries across West Bengal to avoid future legal complications in the event of a fire.

This move comes after a devastating blaze that broke out at Rituraj hotel in central Kolkata on the night of April 29 killed 15 people.

Following the fire, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) issued a notice ordering the immediate closure of all rooftop eateries within the vicinity of Greater Kolkata that come under its jurisdiction.

In some cases, joint teams of the corporation and Kolkata Police also reached certain establishments to demolish them.

However, the eatery owners moved Calcutta High Court, following which the court put an interim stay on the demolition till further orders.

“The corporation ordered immediate closure of all rooftop restaurants, considering that in case of a major fire in a building where the emergency exit is non-existent or non-functional, the roof of that building will act as the last shelter for the residents.

“However, because of the absence of SOPs across the state on this count, the corporation’s move to close or demolish some of these rooftop eateries faced legal complication.

“This has prompted the West Bengal government to think of issuing SOPs on this count that will be applicable throughout the state,” said a senior official of the state government.

At the same time, he added, the corporation is stressing on better coordination between different departments, namely municipalities and municipal corporations concerned, the West Bengal fire services, and police departments, to combat the menace of illegal constructions on roofs and basements.

Already, the KMC has announced that no new construction on the roofs and basements of any building under its jurisdiction will be allowed in future, and the roofs and basements should be shown as a common area in the plans for a new building-plan.

There were severe lapses in fire safety management and a lack of proper evacuation and ventilation facilities in Hotel Rituraj in central Kolkata, where the fire broke out on April 29.

--IANS

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