Following a major fire at a restaurant in Kamala Mills last December, Mumbai’s hotels have been under pressure from municipal authorities to get their act together with regard to fire safety norms. But now the Indian Hotels and Restaurants Association (AHAR) has requested that it be allowed to use ‘roti atta’ (flour) instead of sand to tackle the initial stages of a kitchen fire.
The Fire Brigade requires restaurants to stock sand in their kitchens to help quell any incidents of fire. But the hoteliers have pointed out that keeping sand in the kitchen is a violation of Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) norms.
In a letter to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Ajoy Mehta, on January 31, AHAR has requested that they be allowed to use ‘roti atta’ within the kitchen since, under FSSAI rules, sand cannot be stored in the cooking area, ostensibly to avoid food contamination. Also, restaurant kitchens stock up on flour anyway.
The letter states that they have been following the guidelines issued by the civic body, but would like to make certain suggestions with regard to fire safety. AHAR president Santosh Shetty said: “Old methods are okay and we are not against using sand. It is already there. But keeping sand in the kitchen is in violation of food contamination rules. What we are suggesting is an alternative source, since ‘atta’ is available in every kitchen.”
“Using flour to fight a fire is the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard,” said a professor from IIT-Bombay. “Flour becomes a combustible gas.”
However, Sunil Keswani, a plastic surgeon and medical director of the National Burns Center in Airoli, said flour might be a good substitute for sand for curbing kitchen fires induced by oil.
