The National Green Tribunal (NGT) order may have bitten off more than it can chew but restaurateurs in Hauz Khas Village (HKV) are not ready to bite the bullet. Not yet.
More than 30 restaurateurs in the area are chewing over legal options against the NGT order that forced closure of their bistros. The chophouse owners are pulling out all stops to get a stay on the order in the next hearing scheduled for September 24.
“We have formed an association of over 30 restaurants and have decided to approach the body of law collectively to explain our stand. We have not flouted any law. We have all the licences required and the proper documentation. We will get a stay on the order,” said Manish Sharma, owner of The Pink Room, a restobar in the Village.
In an order on Friday, the Tribunal had asked nearly 40 greasy spoons, including Verve-lounge Diner, Out Of The Box, The Pink Room, Elf Café lounge, Raasta, Thirty-Nine, Amici Café, My Bar Grill, Fork You, Fat Ninja and others not to serve up for four days on grounds that these restaurants that had “mushroomed” were operating “without proper clearances and discharging effluents, drawing potable water and causing environmental hazards.”
The visibly upset restaurateurs claimed that they are already mid-way in the process of setting up effluent treatment plants. “We have shut the eateries down because we cannot go against the law. It is important to note that work has begun 20 days ago. It takes time to install sewerage treatment for which we had moved an application seeking 60 days reprieve. We have still been asked to down shutters,” said Ajit, owner, Verve.
“Our restaurants are usually packed cheek-by-jowl but with the closure we are losing out on profits close to a lakh per day. It’s not just the fiscal loss, jobs of nearly 1,200 employees too are on the line,” added Sharma.
Regulars to the urban village are equally distressed. “These diners have been around for so long. Why this unexpected closureIJ No other place matches the joie de vivre of HKV,” said Sanchi Goel.
Bearing the brunt of closure is not just restaurateurs, but retail outlets, art galleria and the boutiques in HKV. “Visitors are drawn to Hauz Khas Village for its fine-dining experience. The foodies have stopped trickling in, so have the buyers,” said the manager of Chowk, a curiosity shop.