To give a fresh lease of life to rooftop restaurants, the urban housing and development (UDH) and local self government (LSG) have issued notifications for framing bylaws to obtain No Objection Certificate (NoC) for these establishments.
The town planners claimed that Rajasthan will be the first state to frame such bylaws. This will give a breather to more than 1,500 rooftop owners here, many of which are illegal.
The notification said most of these rooftops restaurants were not duly approved by the authorities and thus functioning illegally compromising the security of tourists and residents. “ Taking into account, the safety of citizens as well tourists and enhance the financial strength of local bodies, in exercise of the power conferred under the Section 338 of the Rajasthan Municipal Act, 2009, the state government notifies the bylwas,” reads the notification.
As per rules, maximum 25% of roof area will be allowed to be covered by removable temporary structure materials including steel and aluminium framing. No wooden framing material or combustive material will be allowed for construction. The remaining 75% area will be kept open for sitting space. It will be mandatory for the owners to comply fire safety norms and procure NOC from the council of architecture (COA) registered Architect and fire department.
“A rooftop restaurant should have minimum two exit gates, along with escape route in case of emergency,” said a senior town planner
The department has directed to construct an overhead water tank exclusively for firefighting of suitable capacity. “No cooking will be allowed using an LPG stove, coal or an open flame. Storage and use of any kind of inflammable products is also not allowed except liquor (with permission from excise department). Hookahs, fire shows will not permitted in such establishments. Cooking using LPG, coal or open flame may be carried out in the lower floor,” the notification said.
