The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will check whether adequate provisions to carry out rescue operations during emergencies like fire are in place before clearing plans for setting up eateries, cafes and other establishments on rooftops, mayor Firhad Hakim said on Saturday.

Apart from a sanctioned plan, the owner who plans to set up an establishment on the rooftop of a building will also have to submit a “no-objection certificate” from co-owners of the building, Hakim added.

“Before providing any clearance to someone planning to set up an establishment on a rooftop, we will check whether necessary provisions have been made for proper rescue operation in case of an emergency,” Hakim said.

The mayor said apartment owners of a building are often ignorant about the condition of the terrace. The rooftop is sometimes left dirty and the water outlets remain clogged.

Sometimes, when the main owner or the building’s promoter lets out a part of the rooftop top to someone, the apartment owners often remain in the dark.

“We have therefore decided that the building’s owner will have to submit NOC from co-owners to set up anything on the rooftop,” Hakim said.

The mayor’s concern about the mushrooming of rooftop cafes and eateries across the city comes within a fortnight of a massive fire breaking out inside a now-closed rooftop food-and-drink joint on the busy Camac Street. Within 72 hours of this fire, another fire broke out in the food court of Acropolis Mall in Kasba forcing the evacuation of hundreds who worked in the office complex of the 21-storied building.

Senior KMC officials said on Friday the mayor had presided over a meeting to discuss the rising number of rooftop cafes in the city.

“A team of officials will survey commercial establishments including cafes and eateries that have come up on rooftops. The team will examine the facilities available in the kitchens and check the clearances that the owners have secured to run such an establishment on the rooftop,” a senior official of the KMC said.

Officials said the mayor was peeved about several rooftop establishments springing up without the KMC’s knowledge and instructed officials to submit a report within a week.

Hakim, however, tried to defend councillors. Many Calcuttans feel such illegalities cannot go unnoticed by the local councillor but the mayor said: “It is not always possible for a ward councillor to visit rooftops and check about the establishments cropping up.

“And I won’t be able to speak about others who can prevent the mushrooming of illegal rooftop establishments.”

Senior fire department officials said the basic prerequisite for giving a fire clearance was to see whether the rooftop had enough space where visitors could assemble in case of an emergency before taking the exit route.

“The refuge area must be big enough so people can gather and don’t have to fight for space,” a senior fire department official said.

“The initial plan of Acropolis had no provision or mention of a restaurant on the rooftop,” he added.

Acropolis opening

Mayor Hakim said on Saturday that he spoke to Sujit Bose, the minister in charge of fire and emergency services, about the opening of offices housed in the 21-story Acropolis building.

The mall has been shut since the fire broke out on June 14. “I have told him to see if the offices in the building can be reopened. But that can be done only after all the requirements (for fire safety) are met and the power connection restored,” Hakim said.