Banani's Pinewood, Nawabi Cuisine and Turkish Bazaar restaurants fined Tk 300,000
Three restaurants housed in residential buildings of the capital have been fined Tk 100,000 each, Tk 300,000 in total, for operating without RAJUK permission or any clearance from the fire service. Even the addresses given in their trade licences were of different locations. These fines were imposed by the mobile court of Dhaka South City Corporation.
The restaurants are Pinewood and Tajine Nawabi Cuisine restaurants on plot 48-E Road 13-C in Banani and Turkish Bazaar and Restaurant in the plot next door.
A spot visit saw a three-storey residential building at plot 48-E. There were houses on the ground floor of the building. On the first floor was a restaurant Pinewood and on the second floor another restaurant, Tajine Nawabi Cuisine. On the rooftop, the restaurant also had space to dine as well as its kitchen.
Next door to these establishments stands another building on plot 50. Turkish Bazaar and Restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the building. The officials of this establishment, upon seeing the mobile court, turned off the lights and left the place.
City Corporation officials said, there is no permission for commercial use of the building. In no way can a restaurant be opened here. As it was a residential building, they didn't even apply to the fire service for clearance. And the trade licence from Dhaka City Corporation which they showed has a different address. It was the same for Turkish Bazaar and Restaurant too.
Turkish Bazaar and Restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the building. The officials of this establishment, upon seeing the mobile court, turned off the lights and left the place
These three restaurants were fined in the drive as they had no permission. Zulqar Nain, Dhaka South City zonal officer and executive magistrate who was running the mobile court, said the restaurants had no documents. In consideration of Ramadan starting, the restaurants have just been fined for the time being. They will have to relocate from the residential buildings to commercial ones, or the building will have to get approval for commercial use.
The executive magistrate went on to day, "We will take measures against the owners on these two buildings in accordance to their tax records. It will be seen how they have been renting the building out for commercial purposes while paying housing tax. Regular cases will be filed against the building owners."
Earlier, the illuminated signboard of a restaurant Turkish Adana Kebab on the ground floor of a residential building on Banani Road 17-A, was removed. The city corporation officials said that this restaurant had no permission either. Upon seeing the mobile court, the restaurant staff locked up and left.