Sixty popular rooftop pubs and eateries in Bengaluru could soon be without power, water and have their licence revoked if they do not comply with fire safety norms laid down by the fire department.

The Karnataka Fire Safety and Emergency Services department continued its crackdown on pubs and eateries in the city and have given at least 60 popular pubs in high-rise buildings, one week’s notice, to comply with fire safety norms as per the National Building Code.  

The department has decided to write to BESCOM and BBMP asking them to disconnect power and stop water supply or even cancel the trade licences of pubs and restaurants in high-rise buildings that do not have a No Objection Certificate from the fire department. 

“By the end of next week, we will be writing to BESCOM and BBMP to disconnect power and water to those high-rise buildings that are not following fire safety measures as advised by us. There are at least 60 buildings and they were already given fifteen days to comply with the norms,” said MN Reddi, DGP, Karnataka Fire Safety and Emergency Services.

The fire department had initially sprung into action by sending a set of notices to pubs in the city on December 30. The department has identified high-rise buildings as the first priority in inspecting whether fire safety norms are being followed. Buildings taller than 15 metres in height are considered high-rise buildings.

Among these, the civic agencies are looking at buildings with high footfalls first before going on to inspect all high-rise buildings.

The set of notices to restaurants and bars came following a fire at Kamala Mills compound in Mumbai on December 28 that claimed 14 lives. 

On January 4, the BBMP issued closure notices to 69 establishments, mainly rooftop bars and restaurants in the city, for violation of fire safety norms. Four days later, Kailash Bar and Restaurant, a 70-year old building in Kalasipalya in the city, went up in flames killing five people.