After spate of blazes, Mumbai Fire Brigade to intensify surprise visits at eateries

In order to ensure fire compliance in restaurant and eateries across the city, the Mumbai Fire Brigade (MFB) will increase the numbers surprise visits to check fire safety. The fire department will take each and every complaint seriously to avoid incidents similar to Kamla Mills and Crystal Tower.

Even tea stalls in the city will have to comply, and the MFB will ensure that when they renew their trade license every year.

I A Kundan, additional municipal commissioner (Western suburb) said that the civic body ensures that fresh license will be issued only after fire compliance of the stall or shop is ensured. After Kamla Mills incident, it has been made mandatory for newly established eateries applying for health and fire-safety licences and for existing establishments to fulfil these requirements at the time of renewing their licenses, she added.

"Renewal of license is subject to receiving a fire NOC after fulfilling the requirements as per previous terms and conditions," said Kundan.

Last week, the Bombay High Court had directed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to carry out a surprise check of restaurants and ensure all fire safety measures effectively implementing before granting a license.

The BMC informed the court that the civic body had already framed laws to deal with it. The civic body is also working on a mobile app that will help citizens to check whether a restaurant is fire compliant or not.

There have been over 49,000 incidents of fire in the city in the last one decade, killing more than 600 people.