Only 1 hotel received permission from BMC under new rooftop policy, 1Above among applicants
The rooftop bar at Four Seasons Hotel, Worli (Representational Image, Courtesy: livejournal.com)
In the three months since the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) unveiled its rooftop policy allowing restaurants, bars, and cafes to operate legally, only one applicant from the 14 that applied has got a go ahead.
Interestingly, ‘1Above’, the high-end pub in the Kamala Mills Compound, where a devastating fire killed 14 people on December 29, is among the applicants, but its plea is still under process.
In November last year, the BMC came up with a rooftop restaurant policy under which it placed guidelines and riders for granting licences to start rooftop restaurants in the metropolis.
“We have received 14 common business applications so far from the owners of hotels and restaurants, seeking permission to run rooftop eateries at night. Only one of them has been accorded permission,” BMC executive health officer Padmaja Keskar told PTI.
The entity which has received the approval is Hotel Four Seasons, which has an open-air rooftop bar Aer on its top floor. The other applications, however, are still being processed.
‘1Above’ had started its rooftop pub despite not getting formal approval from the civic body, another senior official, seeking anonymity, said.
The eateries which have filed applications for approval to set up rooftop restaurants include London Taxi, Hotel St Regis, Hotel Sheesha and Sky View Cafe.
Among the 13 pending applicants, a few have been found ineligible to start such outlets and their applications may be rejected, the official said, but did not reveal their names.
The BMC came out with the policy with an aim to boost the hospitality industry and revive Mumbai’s nightlife. The initiative, however, has taken a backseat in the wake of the recent Kamala Mills fire.
