No new rooftop restaurants to open in Kolkata! KMC calls for stop to registration

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has formally requested the Inspector General of Registration and Commissioner of Stamp Revenue to stop the registration of deeds for transfer, sale, or conveyance of rooftops or terraces of multi-storeyed residential and commercial buildings. The letter, sent on Tuesday by municipal commissioner Dhaval Jain, follows KMC’s earlier decision to not sanction any new structures on open terraces or approve mutation requests involving rooftop areas.

In the letter, Jain referred to Rule 117(4) of the KMC Building Rules, 2009, which states that “every terrace on the topmost storey of any building shall have a common access and shall not be subdivided.” He also pointed out that access to terraces through staircases and common corridors must remain unobstructed to ensure safety and facilitate evacuation during emergencies such as fire incidents.

Mayor Firhad Hakim supported the move, stating that rooftops must be kept accessible and used only as emergency refuge spaces. “We should take a lesson from the fire that broke out on Park Street last June. I still shudder when I think about the deaths when a fire engulfed Stephen Court and those inside found the door to the rooftop locked,” he said.

Following a major fire at a hotel near the Mechhua wholesale fruit market, which resulted in 14 deaths, KMC had served notices to several rooftop restaurants and lounges. The civic body then began enforcement actions against unauthorized commercial establishments operating from terraces, emphasizing the need for rooftops to remain unoccupied and freely accessible during emergencies.