In a startling revelation made to a query filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, it has come to fore that the Pakeeza guest house in Grant Road has been operating without a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the fire brigade for 25 years while its health license expired 11 months ago.
Neither BMC nor Nagpada police have taken any action
Despite the blatant violations, neither the BMC nor the Nagpada police have taken any action, averred RTI applicant Aman Khan. Notably, his father was among the business partners (his four uncles) running the guest house, however, he claimed that he hasn't been given his due share in the property.
Details of Pakeeza guest house
Pakeeza guest house is located in the Pakeeza Market building, a ground plus eight-storey residential-cum-commercial structure. The hotel was started In 1998 and Khan's father and his uncles had converted five flats into 15 rooms. According to the information received through the RTI query, the guest house's health licence expired on December 31, 2022, while no entry was found regarding the NOC granted to the hotel in the fire brigade's records. As per Khan, the fire brigade and the BMC inspected the establishment and even filed reports, however, no action ensued.
Pakeeza guest house in Grant Road | FPJ
“Hotel Pakeeza owners have been even accused of operating an illegal hookah parlour within the guest house. They have registered the establishment on a wrong address and its GST number was cancelled in 2018. When I questioned the BMC officials about the lack of action, one of them demanded money. Not just the hotel, but the whole building doesn't possess a fire NOC,” said Khan.
Previous cases and complaints
In 2021, an FIR was filed against the illegal hookah parlour and in 2023, the Mazgaon metropolitan magistrate court convicted both the owners and the building secretary in the case. Khan said, “I had filed a complaint on the Prime Minister's grievance portal and received a response from the BMC, saying that the hookah parlour doesn't operate from the hotel. Later, the municipality and the fire brigade provided inspection reports, submitting that the hotel lacks fire and health safety norms.”
Pakeeza guest house in Grant Road | FPJ
The fire brigade forwarded its report to the police, recommending necessary action. However, as of now, none of the authorities have done anything in this regard. Moreover, the BMC has been supplying water to the hotel since 2008, but the owners have not paid the outstanding bills running into lakhs of rupees, asserted Khan.
The Free Press Journal tried to contact Assistant Municipal Commissioner (D Ward) Sharad Ughade, but he wasn't available for comment.
