The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will launch a special drive from Tuesday to inspect rooftop restaurants, bars and lounges and check whether they have complied with fire-safety norms they had pledged to follow.

These establishments were shut after a fire at a hotel in Mechua in central Calcutta in April. They were allowed to reopen in late August on the condition that owners implement, within three months, the safety measures listed in a state-issued standard operating procedure (SOP).

The renewed checks come in the wake of a Goa nightclub fire that killed 25 people after midnight on Saturday.

Bengal’s SOP bars any construction on refuge areas or refuge floors and mandates that at least 50 per cent of any rooftop must remain completely clear of structures. The 50 per cent clearance requirement applies only to existing rooftop builds; no new construction is permitted.

The SOP also prohibits establishments from occupying the road-facing portion of terraces, which must remain accessible for emergency evacuations and for hydraulic ladders to reach during a blaze.

The SOP was framed by a committee of ministers, senior officials and police officers.

“We will start the special drive to check the present status of the bars, lounges and restaurants. Besides the KMC, representatives from Kolkata Police and the fire directorate will be part of the team,” said a KMC official.

“The team will check whether the establishments have adhered to the SOP. What happens to those found non-compliant will be decided in the next course,” the official added.

The initial focus will be on 83 establishments identified by the police after the April fire. Most operate on rooftops, though a few are on lower floors. KMC officials said
some of the lower-floor restaurants had encroached on refuge areas meant for fire emergencies.

A KMC official said on Monday that only about 30 establishments submitted the indemnity bonds required for reopening, promising compliance with the SOP within three months.

“It is unknown to us whether all 83 establishments are operating or only the ones that submitted indemnity bonds reopened. The drives over the next few days will reveal how many establishments are functioning,” the official said.

The crackdown on rooftop and high-rise eateries began after chief minister Mamata Banerjee visited the fire-ravaged Rituraj Hotel on April 30, a day after a blaze there killed 14 people. Her visit prompted a demand for strict fire-safety compliance across the hospitality sector.

In May, the KMC issued “stop operations” notices to 83 such establishments.

Ahead of the festive season, the committee created a reopening pathway in August that sought to balance safety with economic recovery.