In wake of the Kamala Mills fire that shook Mumbai and the rest of India this Friday, the New Delhi Municipal Corporations (NDMC) has asked Delhi restaurants to not use the terrace and operate only in areas for which they have a license issued by the council; failure to do so will lead to the NDMC canceling the establishment’s license.

In The Name of Fire Safety

The directive comes just before Delhi gets the New Year parties started. “During New Year’s Eve, markets like Connaught Place and Khan Market are flooded with people and it is important to follow the fire safety norms.,” a senior official said, adding “many restaurants are found flouting the norms of license by using the rooftop area to increase the seating capacity. NDMC officials have been deployed in these markets to monitor the situation and the council will immediately cancel the license of any entity found flouting this norm.”

In addition to issuing the directive, the NDMC has also asked all associations to install sufficient fire extinguishers, while restaurants have urged not to seat more people than their capacity. Meanwhile, the market associations have been asked to discourage parking in no-parking zones. Further, as a precautionary measure, the council will also deploy fire brigade units near CP and Khan Market.

“We welcome the step and have asked all traders at CP to strictly follow the safety norms. Along with NDMC, it is our duty to ensure that the safety norms are followed”, Atul Bhargava, president of New Delhi Traders’ Association (NDTA), was quoted by Times of India.

Earlier this year, the NDMC had temporarily shut down a bunch of restaurants in Connaught Place, following the roof collapse of a building in the area. And previously, Khan Market had been at the receiving end of a possible fire threat due to a congested layout and lack of proper safety amenities.

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