‘Action against restaurants found violating norms’

Serious action including cancellation of licences is on the cards if restaurants in the national capital are found exceeding the seating capacity without no-objection certificates from fire department, NDMC on Wednesday told the Delhi High Court.

The civic body also clarified that the Delhi Fire Service Act, 2009, says that a restaurant with seating capacity for less than 50 people doesn’t need a no-objection certificate from the fire department.

“However, during the periodical checking done by NDMC, if the restaurants are found exceeding the seating capacity without no-objection certificate from fire department, serious action will be taken against them,” NDMC counsel Anil Grover submitted before Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw.

The NDMC was responding to the court’s query whether restaurants in its jurisdiction were complying with the regulation on seats as per the Delhi Fire Service Act.

The court was hearing a plea of a welfare association of Khan Market seeking directions to the NDMC to carry out the redevelopment of the community centre there by including fire safety measures and sanitation arrangements.