Kolkata Mayor asks to close down all rooftop restaurants in city, three days after a massive blaze claimed 14 lives

Firefighters at the printing press at Salt Lake, Sector-5 in Kolkata. May 2, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri

The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor, Firhad Hakim, on Friday (May 2, 2025) ordered the closure of all rooftop restaurants in the city, following a notification issued the same day. The directive comes just three days after a devastating fire engulfed the Rituraj Hotel in central Kolkata, claiming 14 lives, including those of two children.

“Encroaching and covering up rooftops is illegal because it is a common space. In case of a fire, the roof needs to be used for safety. According to the building rules of Kolkata Corporation, all rooftop restaurants are illegal. We are asking them to close. No one can sell rooftop spaces or staircases,” Mr. Hakim stated. He warned that the KMC would file cases against establishments that do not comply with the order.

Mr. Hakim also stressed the importance of citizen responsibility regarding fire and urban safety. A high-level committee has been formed to survey various buildings across the city and is expected to submit its report within 15 days.

Referring to the Rituraj Hotel fire, the Mayor pointed out that blocking the back exit to create a godown significantly hindered escape for those who perished. This follows Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to the hotel fire site on Thursday (May 1, 2025), where she directed a joint team comprising police, civil officials, and the fire brigade to conduct surprise inspections of similar establishments. Ms. Banerjee also visited some restaurants herself.

Salt Lake factory fire

In a related development on Friday, another major fire broke out at a chemical factory in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area. Twelve firefighters rushed to the scene, and the blaze was brought under control after approximately three hours.

Massive blasts were reported from the factory site in Sector 5, the city’s information technology (IT) hub. Visuals shared by office-goers showed thick smoke and towering flames visible from kilometres away, causing widespread panic as the images circulated rapidly on social media.

State Fire and Emergency Services Department chief Sujit Bose, who visited the spot to assess the situation, said, “Our workers have managed to control the fire. But the source of the fire is overheated. Our firefighters are trying to reach the spot to get complete control.” He noted the presence of highly inflammable materials inside the factory posed challenges to dousing efforts. The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, and no casualties or injuries have been reported so far.

Bodies identified

All 14 bodies from the Rituraj Hotel fire were identified by Friday; two had remained unidentified until Thursday.

The Kolkata Police had made two arrests early on Thursday in connection with the fire. “Two persons, namely Akash Chawla, the owner of the hotel, and his manager Gaurav Kapoor have been arrested,” a police statement confirmed. A third individual, Khurshid Alam, the contractor responsible for interior work at the hotel who allegedly flouted construction rules, was arrested on Thursday evening.

The post-mortem of the victims’ bodies revealed that 13 of the deaths were due to effects of asphyxia and inhalation of carbon soot and thermal burn injuries. One person died after jumping from the top of the building trying to escape the fire.

Kolkata has witnessed several major fire tragedies in the past, including the Stephen Court fire in March 2010 and the AMRI Hospital fire in December 2011, both of which resulted in significant loss of life.