Delhi: Eateries cheating system to get fire safety nod, stringent norms soon

The civic body has the power to deny health trade licence to operate if a restaurant does not have fire clearances.

Instances of fire in Delhi hotels and restaurants, the most recent being that in Karol Bagh’s Hotel Arpit Palace where 17 people were killed, have brought the issue of fire safety clearances in the spotlight and have also brought corporations under pressure to introduce stricter norms.

A senior official of the South civic body said that several restaurants use the seating capacity norm to escape out of getting fire clearances. “Many eateries show that their seating capacity is below 50 to avoid procuring fire clearances. We are bringing a new rule whereby the restaurants’ seating capacities will be decided by the dining area in which they are operating,” the official said.

For instance, for every one seat, the required area could be one-and-half square metres, which means if the restaurant is operating in more than 75 square metres, it will be presumed that they have seating capacity above 50 and will require fire clearances.

The space required for the kitchen, office and store will not be included in the dining area. But guidelines will be laid out for the minimum space a restaurant’s kitchen should occupy, vis-a-vis their dining area. The South body is looking to introduce the rule in their house meeting post the Lok Sabha poll results, and are also in talks with the North and East bodies to get it passed.