Bhubaneswar: Fire service personnel on Friday sealed the basement banquet halls of two posh hotels for operating illegally.

Four fire service personnel visited the banquet halls of Hotel Suryansh near Kalinga Hospital Square and Hotel Seetal near Saheed Nagar police station.

Fire service officials said that according to norms of the Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), the basement areas could be used for purposes, such as parking but for not for social events such as marriage.

Four days ago, the fire service personnel had sealed two basement halls of another posh hotel near Ram Mandir Square.

"On Monday, we had inspected Hotel Seetal. At that time, the hotel owner could not produce any fire safety certificate. Further investigation revealed that the hotel never applied for fire safety certificate though it has been operating for more than four years. We have served a notice on the hotel authorities and have asked them to apply for fire safety certificate after complying with fire safety norms. If it fails to comply with fire safety norms, the entire hotel can be sealed under the Odisha Fire Safety and Fire Prevention Rules," said a senior fire official.

"The halls are located at the basement of the hotels and they don't have adequate escape route in case of an emergency. Highly combustible and inflammable materials were used in the ceiling and walls, which makes the place extremely vulnerable to fire mishap. So, the halls were sealed instantly during inspection," said chief fire officer (prevention wing) B.B. Das.