A blow to revenue, business and livelihoods

With BBMP's license to kill all football jubilation with the closure of innumerable establishments in the city, the hospitality industry was dealt with yet another blow that will plague livelihoods. The establishments have 30 days to produce an occupancy certificate. And till such a time, pub owners, hospitality establishments and places with live music find themselves facing the guillotine. 

The Karnataka High Court directed owners of pubs and live bands in establishments set up after 1977 to get an occupancy certificate and submit applications to the police. Buildings established before 1977 will require a certificate of structural stability by the jurisdictional BBMP engineer in lieu of occupancy certificate. The court also stated that till the certificate is submitted, live bands cannot be played in pubs.

In a city known to have the most corrupt licensing authorities according to sources, the industry is shocked and helpless in the face of closure. The requirement of an OC to have a live band, which by definition of the SC ruling also covers piped and DJ music, is troubling. It will impact a very large number of establishments which cannot furnish a corporation document even though they have all the other papers in place. The said document is procured by the owner of the building, not the people who have opened their businesses there. More so, such laws disempower hardworking citizens. 

In an environment where the pressure on the excise department is to generate more revenue; this comes across as a bit of a self goal. The restaurant business has been at the receiving end of increasingly bizarre and draconian measures by knee jerk reactions and odd rules in the last couple of years. For an industry which is the gateway to massive employment and tax generation; the effects are catastrophic. Yes, and futile for both the government and the hospitality industry.