Thane: The Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) has issued a 15-day ultimatum to 458 hotels to obtain a no objection certificate from the fire department, failing which their licence will be cancelled.
Sunil Chavan, TMC Commissioner, said following the Kamla Mills fire, the civic body started checking the fire compliance at hotels. “The 458 hotels have been issued a notice along with a checklist.”
Chief Fire Officer Shashikant Kale said, “The checklist has standard instructions like no heavy construction above the kitchen, stocking of cylinders depending on the space and structures, and proper emergency exits along with radium strips leading to them.”
Mr. Chavan said the TMC was approached by hotel associations requesting for time to adhere to the fire safety norms. “We decided to give them time, as shutting them down immediately would lead to losses,” he said.
Meanwhile, Sandeep Pachange, MNS chief for Thane region, in a letter to the TMC Commissioner, has demanded that the 15-day compliance period be done away with and action be initiated immediately.
“I agree that hoteliers have to earn their livelihood and run their households, but they can’t be playing with the lives of customers, and of course their own lives are at stake. I have mentioned in the letter that instead of shutting them down, they can just close the serving side, and allow only the takeaway facilities until the end of 15 days,” he said.
