Fire Safety Violation: Virat Kohli’s Bengaluru Restaurant Faces Fresh Trouble, Gets Civic Body Notice

Bengaluru: Virat Kohli co-owned One8 Commune in Bengaluru is facing fresh troubles.

The restaurant-pub has been sent a notice by the civic body Bengaluru Bruhat Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) over alleged fire safety violations.

This comes five months after an FIR was filed against One8 Commune for operating beyond the permissible time limit of 1 am as the restaurant was found open and serving customers at 1.20 am.

One8 Commune — located on the sixth floor of Ratnam’s Complex at upscale M G Road near Chinnaswamy cricket stadium – has been functioning without a no-objection certificate from the Fire Department, IANS reported.

A notice was issued on November 29 based on the complaint of social activists H M Venkatesh and Kunigal Narasimhamurthy. No reply, however, has been received yet.

This time, BBMP has given One8 Commune a seven-day deadline. If the management fails to reply this time too, legal action will be initiated against the restaurant, states the notice issued by Health Officer of BBMP’s Shanthinagar division.

“Many restaurants, bars and pubs in highrise buildings across Bengaluru are operating without any fire safety measures in place. In the past, fire accidents in Bengaluru have led to significant loss of life and injuries. For instance, during the Carlton Towers fire caused by a short circuit, people jumped off the building in an attempt to save their lives,” complainant Venkatesh stated.

“To prevent such incidents, BBMP and the Fire Department have conducted audits. They identified several buildings without proper fire safety measures and issued rules stating that licenses should not be granted to such buildings, and operations should not be permitted on those premises,” Venkatesh pointed out.

“Despite these rules, violations continue unabated. Similarly, a restaurant in a highrise building at Ratnam Complex on MG Road is lacking fire safety measures. We have raised this issue and brought it to the attention of the BBMP by filing a complaint. Following this, they have issued a notice,” he maintained.

Earlier, in July, an FIR was registered against One8 Commune for operating past the 1 a.m. deadline. The FIR stated that the establishment was open and serving customers at 1.20 a.m., which exceeded the permissible time limit.