Chandigarh: CITCO hotels high on bar permits but fire safety a burning concern

Since 2017, CITCO’s flagship hotels — Mountview in Sector 10, Shivalikview in Sector 17, and Parkview in Sector 24 — along with the renowned Chef Lakeview restaurant at Sukhna Lake have continually secured bar licences annually.

However, a glaring concern emerges when it comes to fire safety. Throughout the same seven-year period, they have consistently failed to obtain the crucial fire no-objection certificate (NOC) regarding provision of fire safety equipment on their premises, indicating persistent disregard towards safety of customers and staff alike.

Worse, despite the clear excise department rule that a bar licence can only be granted upon submission of a fire NOC, CITCO’s facilities have managed to circumvent this requirement, merely providing undertakings that they have applied for the NOC, while fire safety measures remain inadequate.

Mandated by the National Building Code (NBC), 2016, the fire NOC is to be renewed every three years.

CITCO’s executive engineer Jitender Singh claimed, “We have already applied for the NOC and have fulfilled all requirements as per NBC, 2016. Complete fire systems have been installed in some hotels and work is underway at others. We are hopeful of completing it soon.”

However, a senior MC officer said several discrepancies existed at CITCO hotels when it came to fire safety measures. “An audit was conducted of all city hotels, including those of CITCO, and their managements were directed to comply with the NBC norms. They were clearly told to install a complete fire fighting system in compliance with NBC regulations and apply for NOC afresh,” the officer added.

A private hotelier, requesting anonymity, said, “It is strange that the excise department issued bar licences to CITCO hotels just on the basis of their application, while it doesn’t even entertain private hoteliers like us.”

A senior officer of the excise department, not wishing to be named, said, “I will definitely look into it and will not compromise with the laid norms.”

For financial year 2024-25 as well, Hotel Shivalikview and Hotel Parkview have deposited ₹20.75 lakh each for bar licences, which they are yet to get. Hotel Mountview has also submitted ₹21.75 lakh.