Kolkata: In the six days since the fire, the team carrying out a fire and safety audit of hotels, guest houses and lodges in Kolkata have been able to examine less than 10% of the 4,000-odd hotels that are under the scanner. Closure notices have been served to over 200 hotels for non-compliance with fire safety norms and breaching building rules. Reeling under the blow, the Calcutta Hotel & Restaurant Owners Association, an umbrella body representing budget hotels, has written to CM Suvendu Adhikari and appealed for some time to set its house in order.Civic officials said the govt was in no mood to take the foot off the pedal just yet and was set to continuing the drive against errant hotel owners. But they also conceded that at the current pace, it could take months for the team to complete the checks. Among those that are particularly under the scanner are those that have converted residential buildings into commercial ones and made unauthorized alterations and additions to building.“Initially, the time set for the audit of hotels and guest houses was one week. If we have to prepare a realistic list of hotels and guest houses that may pose a threat to public safety, the number may exceed 4,000. How can we visit these establishments within such a short span,” said a KMC buildings dept official.At present, the civic and fire dept’s crackdown has focused on two belts primarily: the New Market area and Sealdah. Most of the hotels that have been closed down are in these areas. Also under the scanner are other clusters like Park Circus, Tangra, Topsia and Tiljala; Kasba and Anandapur; and Kidderpore and Metiabruz.This closure notices apart, several lodges, guest houses and hotels in central Kolkata have voluntarily suspended operations, fearing sudden closure notices from the KMC and the state fire department during an ongoing safety audit. Owners of these establishments said they did not want to risk taking in customers and then asking them to vacate the rooms at a few hours’ notice.“Hotels in and around New Market, including Mirza Ghalib Street, Lindsay Street, Collin Lane, Sudder Street, Marquis Street and Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, have stopped taking bookings to avoid the ignominy of asking guests to leave at short notice,” said Calcutta Hotel & Restaurant Owners Association president Rajesh Sethi.The Association has approached state industry and commerce minister Tapas Roy to plead their case and handed over a letter addressed to chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, appealing for some time to rectify and fulfil the requirements. “We will fulfil the obligations but just need some time,” he said.According to a KMC source, the municipal commissioner has asked the visiting civic team to submit a report on the preliminary findings. “A report is going to be submitted soon,” said a KMC official.
