PMC acts against illegal rooftop restaurants, 82 served notices
Earlier this year, a similar tragedy broke out at Baner following which the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) surveyed all rooftop restaurants in the city and found around 50 per cent of them were unauthorised
The Tuesday morning incident, in which a rooftop restaurant was gutted in fire, has brought illegal rooftop pubs and bars back in focus. Earlier this year, a similar tragedy broke out at Baner following which the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) surveyed all rooftop restaurants in the city and found around 50 per cent of them were unauthorised.
Following the fire at the rooftop restaurant on Tuesday in Lulla Nagar, the PMC has reviewed their survey data and updated it by issuing notices to 82 rooftop restaurants in zones one to seven in the city under the business operations being conducted were unauthorised and in violation of the Bombay Provincial Municipal Corporation (BPMC) Act.
The PMC’s building permission department has been on its toes ever since the first major fire incident at a rooftop restaurant in Baner on June 9. Following the incident, the PMC commissioner ordered a survey of the rooftop restaurants and directed the fire department to carry out necessary inspections and file a status report.
According to data shared by PMC, until September 2022, notices were served to 75 such rooftop restaurants but the number increased this week following Tuesday’s fire at Lulla Nagar. Though the PMC has served notices to 82 premises, it has taken action against 39 such illegal rooftop restaurants, while 35 are pending action.
The notice was served under sections 52 and 53 of the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act which empowers the local body to fine unauthorised structures not in conformity with sanctioned plan.
According to Bipin Shinde, deputy engineer, building permission, PMC, “The total area that we have taken action on is 13,690 square metres, of which we have taken action on eight rooftop restaurants under the MRTP Act 1956, section 52 (Penalty for unauthorised development or for use otherwise than in conformity with development plan) and on 74 such restaurants under the MRTP Act 1956 section 53 (Power to require removal of unauthorised development).” He further added that five of them have a further stay from the court.