Rajkot Dining Shutdown: 1,000 Hotels Protest RMC Seal Operation, Allegations of Rs. 5 Lakh Ransom
In Rajkot, several hotels, restaurants, banquet halls, and party plots have been sealed today due to the lack of Fire NOC and BU permission following a fire incident. The Rajkot Hoteliers Association has decided to close around a thousand properties across the city, impacting businesses significantly. Mehsul Patel, the head of the association, has criticized the municipal authorities for demanding a fine of Rs. 5 lakhs to unseal the establishments.
Closure of 600 Properties Including Hotels and Restaurants in Rajkot
Mehsul Patel, head of the Rajkot Hoteliers Association, announced that today, on July 10th, around a thousand properties including hotels, restaurants, banquet halls, and party plots have been closed in Rajkot. The reason cited for the closures is the risk of fire incidents in smaller units, where fire safety measures like Fire NOC and BU permissions are not in place. Consequently, around 600 properties have been sealed.
Authorities Criticized for Arbitrary Actions
It has been further revealed that many officials are not adhering to these regulations, which has led to arbitrary actions by the authorities. Allegations have surfaced regarding demands for fines ranging from Rs. 5 to 5 lakhs to unseal properties. An officer of the Rajkot Municipal Corporation had demanded Rs. 5 lakhs as a monthly bribe. Named Amishaben, she has been accused of sealing applications and the Commissioner had ordered the seal to be lifted.
Unjustified Closure of Hotels and Restaurants
Our demand is that the Rajkot Municipal Corporation immediately stop the closure of hotels and restaurants. If there is pressure from the CMO, the Chief Minister can be informed by RMC officials. We must go to DP Desai, the Municipal Commissioner, who explained the 1986 law to us. At that time, we said that the fire NOC of RMC’s building was not there, so they were angry with us. We said that your hotel or restaurant is a source of income, so the rules apply here, not here. RMC has crores of corruption, so it is not a source of income? There are fire extinguishing facilities at all hotels and restaurants. Only for the Fire NOC, the hotel-restaurant seal cannot be taken.
Former Project Officer Refused Rs. 5 Lakh Complaints
When we complained about opening a hotel-restaurant seal for Rs. 5 lakh complaints, Amishaben Vaidya said that from 2011 to 2016, the project officer was convicted in RMC. Which later started my consulting. TRP game zone, after the fire, conflicted with the theater manager Paras Bhai. So they said to apply for a seal. After that, the application for a second wife and Dosa.com restaurant was filed. The application was temporary. Though it is wrong, there is no fire NOC for second wife and dosa.com restaurant, no structure approval, and no compliance. The Commission checked the knowledge of the RMC for the remaining three properties. If 3 properties can be opened, then other properties can be opened. Municipal Commissioner and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel have applied.
