With just a day to go for New Year's Eve, BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta asks officials to inspect all places that will host revelries
Ajoy Mehta, BMC chief
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All booked and set for your New Year's Eve party? First check the status of the restaurant or café you have made a reservation in. It might be demolished or face action for violation of fire safety norms, as civic chief Ajoy Mehta has instructed all 24 ward officers to immediately audit high footfall areas ahead of Sunday. Mehta has put the scanner on all restaurants and eateries with strict action planned against any irregularity found. With New Year's Eve just a day away, civic officials first plan to crack down on restaurants against which they have received complaints.
All zonal deputy municipal commissioners and ward assistant municipal commissioners have been told to form a team of staff from Building & Factory Department, Medical Officer of Health and fire department and inspect all establishments to ensure they are fire compliant, which means they need to audit fire escape routes, staircases and open spaces, and also check that they haven't encroached any space. Mehta said, "I have asked all ward officers to inspect overcrowded places, take stock of safety measures in place and action against those flouting norms."
Demolition started
Staff of G-south ward has already got cracking - around 2 pm yesterday, illegal construction on Sky View Café's terrace, in Trade Building, was demolished. A staffer on demolition duty told mid-day, "We demolished the illegal partition on the terrace and sent gas cutters to cut the metal structures. Also, action was taken at Social, where the loft was demolished." Likewise, action was also taken at Fumes café and Sheesha Sky Lounge at Raghuvanshi Mills compound. An extension to the main structure on the ground floor at the café and roof of the terrace at the Lounge were demolished.
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