2 Bandra restaurants face civic heat for serving on terrace without permission

MUMBAI: The BMC on Saturday cracked down on two restaurants in Bandra for illegally using terrace space for trade activity. Civic officials sealed TAP restaurant at Link Square Mall and have moved a proposal to revoke the licence of restobar Bonobo after the two were found to be serving patrons on the open terrace area despite not having permissions to do so. At Bonobo, which is located on the second floor of Kenilworth, civic officials found that the eatery’s licence, granted under section 394 of the BMC Act, was suspended and yet, the place was operational.
Civic officials said at TAP, a health license was in place but the excess terrace area was being used for trade despite the eatery not having permission under the rooftop policy. During an inspection of TAP on Saturday, civic officials said found chairs, tables, kitchen equipment and utensils on the fourth-floor terrace , and seized all of it. The civic inspection team was accompanied by a police official from the Khar police station.
At Bonobo, however, civic officials could not seal the premises as it has a common terrace with other occupants. “No activity of use of terrace was observed at Bonobo. The site has been inspected by a fire officer and according to his observations, the premises could not be sealed as it has a common terrace and it is not a fire hazard,” said an official.
But activists questioned the timing of the inspection. “How will civic officials find anything during the day. The illegal operations begin in the evening,” said an activist. Apart from the two restaurants, civic officials also raided 24 Lounge in Khar. The restaurant too was using terrace and was also serving hookah. An FIR has been registered. At U-turn restobar in Khar, a part of the fourth-floor terrace that was illegally covered up was demolished.