Delhi food outlets take liquor route to woo crowd
Excise department officials said that many of the restaurants serve liquor only on weekends since that is when there is maximum inflow of customers.
Some of Delhi's favourite eatout havens - the Hauz Khas Village, Khan Market and Paharganj - are under scrutiny for more reasons than one.
A few of the restaurants, especially in Hauz Khas Village and Paharganj, are under the scanner of the Delhi government's excise department for allegedly selling illegal liquor and lacking fire safety norms in the resto-bars doing businesses in these areas.
Excise department officials said that many of the restaurants serve liquor only on weekends since that is when there is maximum inflow of customers.
"People make a beeline on Friday and Saturday night. Some restaurants sell liquor only on these two days and on remaining days they operate as normal eating joints," an official said .
Compounded by the lacunae in this system, a senior official of the fire department said that these areas are congested, making it next to impossible for fire tenders to enter these lanes on normal days. The scenario worsens on weekends as the inflow of customers increase. "The entire area is vulnerable and not fire safe. Many restaurants have been operating from the second or third floors of buildings, which is not only illegal but also dangerous," he added.
The official recalled a blaze that gutted a restaurant - Out of the Box - in Hauz Khas Village on the night of Diwali in 2011. While no casualty was reported due to the restaurant being closed, the official said that on any other day the incident could have turned into a tragedy. Some of the restaurateurs added that the complications arose out of the serpentine route that they usually had to take to obtain any clearance.