NRAI to step up fire safety advisories after Goa nightclub blaze

NRAI says it will ramp up fire safety advisories and set up a task force to help members plug compliance gaps, after a nightclub fire in Goa's Arpora killed 25 people

The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) on Monday said it will ramp up advisories to members on complying with fire safety standards, while also setting up a committee to look into the same.

 

“We issue advisories very regularly and are in the process of devising another one, warning members against the harms of taking fire safety for granted. What happened in Goa was very unfortunate and has led to the loss of many lives, including those from the industry,” Sagar Daryani, president of the NRAI and co-founder and chief executive officer, Wow! Momo, told Business Standard.

 

How will the planned task force work with restaurant members?

 

The apex body of restaurant establishments in the country is also in the process of forming a small committee, “almost like a task force that will work with members to identify gaps in fire safety adherence and help them fill these gaps,” Daryani added.

 

What details have been reported about the Goa nightclub fire?

 

The move comes after a nightclub in Goa’s Arpora caught fire on Saturday night, killing 25 people, including 20 staff members. According to reports, police officers stated that the venue was not complying with fire safety norms and did not have any fire emergency exit in the basement.

 

Why do industry voices say fire safety norms are not followed consistently?

 

“It is important to adhere to fire safety norms, which includes things like working fire extinguishers, wide staircases, and keeping second exits clear. However, these things are hardly followed through,” said an industry executive who did not wish to be identified.

 

How does this compare with past fire incidents in restaurants and hospitality?

 

This is not the first such instance. In 2017, a blaze at a bar in Mumbai’s shopping and restaurant complex Kamala Mills killed 15 people. Recently, in Kolkata, too, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation ordered the closure of all rooftop restaurants in the city after a hotel fire claimed the lives of 14 people. 

Nightclub owners flee to Thailand

 

Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, the owners of the Goa nightclub wanted in connection with the fire tragedy that claimed 25 lives at the facility, have fled to Thailand, prompting police to seek the help of Interpol to trace them, officials said on Monday. According to a statement issued by the Goa Police, the owners of the Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub in Arpora fled to Phuket at 5:30 AM on December 7 in an IndiGo Airlines plane, just hours after the incident.