62 cloud kitchens in Gzb, only 5 with NOCs, finds fire dept survey

Ghaziabad: The fire department has sent Ghaziabad Development Authority a list of 62 cloud kitchens operating across the city, urging enforcement action over fire safety risks. Officials said only five among them have fire NOCs.Following a TOI report published last month, the fire department surveyed 24x7 cloud kitchens run from basements, flats and setbacks of high-rise towers. The report had highlighted how these kitchens often store LPG cylinders far beyond permitted limits. Officials warn cylinders kept in narrow corridors, near hot ovens or inside cupboards could trigger deadly explosions in densely packed buildings.
In the survey, the fire department found that 62 such facilities were operating across the city. An official said, "Only five establishments have an NOC from the fire department." Indirapuram zone has 28 operational cloud kitchens, of which 12 are functioning out of Jaipuria Sunrise Greens in Ahinsa Khand 1. The Kavinagar zone has 10 such cloud kitchens, while half a dozen each exist in Shalimar Garden and Sahibabad. The rest are in other parts of the city."While maximum cloud kitchens are operating in the basements of either marketplaces or high-rise societies, a few are even operating on the second and third floors of high-rise societies," the official said. He further added that 49 cloud kitchens are operating without permission from the GMC or the food departments. Under existing norms, no more than two gas cylinders are allowed to be stored at a restaurant. But the survey highlights that every cloud kitchen had at least two LPG cylinders, and in some of them, the number went up to eight.The official said that a few of the kitchens used a gas pipeline or electric stoves and even had customary fire extinguishers installed. In 2019, a major fire broke out in the basement of L Block at Jaipuria Sunrise Greens in Indirapuram's Ahinsa Khand 1, where a cloud kitchen was operating. The blaze had triggered a series of explosions after LPG cylinders stored in the basement caught fire, and it took more than five hours and over a dozen fire tenders to bring the situation under control.A resident of the society, Sana Sayed, said, "Since the accident, we have run from pillar to post to draw the attention of the authorities to this situation, but nothing happened. Over the past three weeks, following media reports and a protest march, the fire department has conducted a survey on cloud kitchens, which proved that our apprehensions were not unfounded." A GDA official said, "With the survey report on illegal cloud kitchens in our hand, we will soon take action against them."