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Ten more rooftop pubs face closure

Connaught Place cafe and pub owners question civic body's sudden action, will take out a protest march today

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NDMC goes on sealing drive in Connaught Place
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After sealing 21 pubs operating from the rooftops of heritage buildings in Connaught Place (CP) recently, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) is all set to lock down eight to ten more such properties in the area in the coming days. They include popular cafes and restaurants playing live music and serving food on the rooftops. At present, the Chief Architect's Department is carrying out inspections on terraces and balconies of each of these structures.

"Our team is conducting site inspections on terraces and balconies in every block of the inner, outer, and middle circles. There are nearly 10 more rooftops that might get sealed this week. We may even have to cancel their licenses," a senior official said.

He added that at the moment, the priority was to remove illegal structures and generator sets from the rooftops, which were putting "excess load on heritage structures".

According to the NDMC norms, terraces of heritage buildings cannot be used for any kind of commercial activity. It has, however, not deterred the restaurant owners.

Meanwhile, the National Restaurants Association plans to take out a protest march against the move on Friday. A group of pub owners also met senior NDMC officials on Thursday, urging them to consider their applications to resume the business on terraces. According to owners, the closure has led to 30-40 per cent decline in revenue.

"We met the officials and told them that we have valid documents. They must change these archaic norms to make the area public-friendly. They should provide us with 24-hour electricity and water supply," the owner of a popular restobar said requesting anonymity.

Others have written to the civic body asking for an explanation for the move now, as they have been using the terraces for a long time.

The civic body swung into action after the collapse of a roof and front wall of a building in CP last Thursday. The first-floor roof above the Jain Book Agency in C-block had collapsed. The authority also has to submit a report on all "dangerous" buildings in CP by February-end, to assess the situation to prevent such mishaps in future.

Hitting back

The National Restaurants Association plans to take out a protest march against NDMC's move to seal rooftop cafes on Friday. A group of pub owners also met senior NDMC officials on Thursday, urging them to consider their applications to resume business on terraces. Others have written to the civic body asking for an explanation for the move now as the closure has affected business and has led to a loss of 30-40 per cent revenue, according to owners.

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