Only 1 among 14 applicants got nod for rooftop restaurant

The local civic body has received applications from 14 entities to set up rooftop restaurants after it unveiled a policy in this regard in November but only one of them has got the nod so far, a civic official said.
Interestingly, '1Above', the high-end pub in the Kamala Mill Compound, where a devastating fire killed 14 people on December 29, is among the applicants, but its plea is still under process.
In November last year, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) came up with a rooftop restaurant policy. It put in place guidelines and riders for granting licences to start rooftop restaurants in the metropolis.

"We have received 14 common business applications so far from the owners of hotels and restaurants, seeking permission to run rooftop eateries in night.
"Only one of them has been accorded the permission," BMC executive health officer Padmaja Keskar told PTI today.
The entity which has received the approval is Hotel Four Season, while the others applications are being processed, she said.

'1Above' had started its rooftop pub despite not getting formal approval from the civic body, another senior official, seeking anonymity, said.
The eateries which have filed applications for approval to set up rooftop restaurants include London Taxi, Hotel St Regis, Hotel Shisha and Sky View Cafe.

Among the 13 pending applicants, a few have been found ineligible to start such outlets and their applications may be rejected, the official said, but did not reveal their names.
The BMC came out with the policy with an aim to boost the hospitality industry and revive Mumbai's night life.