The recent collapse of rooftops at Jain Bookstore and Odeon Sweet Shop, Connaught Place has once again put the limelight on structural safety of restaurants in the capital. Built in 1933, Connaught Place has not gone through any internal-structural renovation since, hence it seems a structural mishap was inevitable. Lying in Earthquake zone 4, Delhi buildings are more susceptible to damage, invoking the argument of why structural safety hasn’t been prioritised by the central & local governments. However, it’s not just Connaught Place in question.
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Earlier this year, Hauz Khas Village suffered a tragedy of it’s own when a fire broke out in the basement of Cafe High5. While the fire was quickly controlled and no one was harmed, it scratched open a sore wound, reminding Delhi of the fire in August 2016 leaving one dead and one injured. The narrow lanes, poor building structures, no fire exits and clustered restaurants in HKV pose major safety risks with no space for fire tenders to respond in case of an emergency. Fire personnel having to navigate the cramped lanes teeming with panicked crowds before reaching the distress site can in itself be termed as the reason for HKV being unsafe.
The overcrowded village is choked at capacity with pubs and bars operating on higher floors & rooftops without proper permits and now CP seems to be following in its footsteps. Ever since the revamp of Connaught Place to become a dining hub, there are over 170 dining establishments and offices operating in Connaught Place,where the buildings witness insupportable pressure. The two collapses occurring within 10 days of each other are proof of that.
A senior official from the New Delhi Municipal Corporation shares “The open-air restaurants have been running for years without permission. The Chief Architect’s office had sent show cause notices to these for misuse of premises under sections 250 and 252 of the NDMC Act, 1994”. However, this raises the question why no action was taken prior to this incident. 21 rooftop bars including Farzi Cafe, Unplugged Courtyard, and Warehouse Cafe have now been sealed and 10 provided with closure-notices to prevent further accidents.
This response has resulted in a counter action by restaurant owners who claim that the ban is hurting their business. Akshay Anand, owner of Town House Cafe, shared with Hindustan Times, “There has already been a 30% drop in our businesses because of the move. This is the perfect time to sit in the open and enjoy the weather. When we tell our guests that rooftop seating is closed, they cancel their bookings”. Priyank Sukhija, restaurateur and President of The Connaught Place Restaurants Association told HT they are ready to the take the issue to court but “The NDMC have already taken commercial taxes from us for the rooftop areas. We will meet the council chairperson and tell him our side of the story before resorting to legal action”. In response, the civil agency has formed a six-member panel comprising of structural safety experts to determine the cause of collapse.
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Amidst all the chaos between NDMC and restaurant owners about rooftop bars, the value of these iconic structures seems to be lost. We can’t disregard the fact that this historical building is in desperate need of structural strength boost and despite having a revamped facade, the interiors are crippled.
With two of the city’s most beloved food hubs – CP and HKV falling short on structural stability, how safe can you actually feel while dining at a restaurant?
Featured Image Courtesy: hindustantimes.com
