Twenty pubs, lounges and rooftop restaurants were inspected on Monday by a joint team of Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) officials, fire directorate officers, and Kolkata Police, revealing that many establishments have yet to implement the safety measures they had pledged.
A senior KMC official said that several establishments, from a list of 83 initially identified, had not even submitted indemnity bonds before resuming operations.
The ongoing inspections, which will continue until December 19, aim to determine whether the owners have begun implementing the safety measures outlined in a state-issued standard operating procedure (SOP).
The 83 establishments were shut down following a fire in April at a hotel in central Calcutta’s Mechua that killed 14 people. They were allowed to reopen in late August on the condition that all SOP-mandated measures would be implemented within three months. KMC checks were to follow after this period. The renewed inspections come in the wake of the Goa nightclub fire that killed 25 people last weekend.
Bengal’s SOP bars any construction on refuge areas or refuge floors and mandates that at least 50 per cent of existing rooftops remain free of structures. It also prohibits occupying road-facing portions of terraces to ensure emergency access for evacuations and hydraulic ladders.
Among the establishments inspected on Monday were Roots, Hashtag, and Drunken Teddy, the official said. “We have prepared a checklist with 31 questions covering basic details, rooftop access, staircases, and fire exit signages. The teams tick off whether the measures are in place,” the official added.
Depending on the findings, authorities have two options: allow the establishments additional time to comply while remaining operational, or shut them down until full adherence to the SOP is ensured. “Decisions will be taken on a case-by-case basis,” an official said.
With the festive season approaching, bars, pubs and restaurants are expected to remain crowded, making these inspections timely. The KMC has also requested the state fire department to conduct separate checks focusing on fire exits and safety equipment.
“Many establishments have complied by reducing rooftop areas or implementing other measures,” an official said. However, some lower-floor restaurants had encroached on refuge zones meant for emergencies, the official added.
The inspections will initially focus on the 83 establishments flagged after the April fire.