Even as the Fire Department is continuing inspection of rooftop pubs and bars that had been served notices, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) officials are in a quandary.
The BBMP had served a closure notice to nearly 135 rooftop pubs and bars. But the civic body has all but stopped inspecting such establishments after owners of a few establishments filed a writ petition in the High Court challenging the closure notice.
Mujahid Pasha, chairperson of the BBMP’s Standing Committee for Health, told The Hindu that while dismissing the writ petition, the High Court had said that the final decision on rooftop pubs and bars should be taken by Joint Commissioners of the BBMP. “The BBMP has eight Joint Commissioners. If each has to take a call, there may be different parameters,” he said.
He intends to urge BBMP Commissioner N. Manjunath Prasad to convene a meeting with the eight Joint Commissioners to take a call on the issue. “The meeting will most likely be held sometime this week, depending on Mayor R. Sampath Raj’s schedule,” he said.
Re-inspection
Meanwhile, the Fire Department is re-inspecting nearly 70 establishments that had been served 15-day notices to correct lapses in fire safety measures. The notices were issued following the fire accident in Kamala Mills in Mumbai, which claimed 14 lives.
Soumendu Mukherjee, Inspector General of Police and Additional Director General, Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services, said that the re-inspection exercise is being undertaken by Chief Fire Officers.
“We are now inspecting for compliance and focussing on whether fire safety measures have been put in place. This exercise may be completed in a week,” he added.
