Owners keep restaurants closed to 'avoid raids'

Most of the restaurants in the capital have reportedly been seen closed since Sunday night.

According to regular restaurant goers, the restaurant started closing after the police raid on Sunday night.

Being informed by customers, Views Bangladesh later tried to contact several such restaurant owners but they were not available for any comments.

At the same time, the owners have also switched off the phone used to sell food online.

Visiting the capital's Panthapath area, Views Bangladesh reporter found that several restaurants including Madal and Salam's Kitchen are closed.

Later, visiting Dhanmondi Satmosjid road and other popular food hubs in the capital, the reporter found many food outlets were closed. Even, those were also not available on Foodpanda app.

After the fire incident on Bailey Road on the night of February 29, the administration started taking action against the restaurants that are being illegally operated in commercial buildings. As part of this, the police raided restaurants in different areas of the capital on Sunday night.

In addition of checking licences, the regulators are also monitoring whether there are emergency exit stairs, whether gas cylinders are kept in safe places, fire extinguishers are in places or any other hazards are existed.

At least 30 people from different restaurants were arrested during the police operation till 11 pm on Sunday. Some of them are restaurant managers.

Md Shah Alam, the owner of a biryani shop in Dhamandi, said that the police came at night and asked him to close his biryani shop.

The owner of a food shop near Abahani field said that police asked him to close his outlet as the building doesn’t have any permission to open a restaurant. However, he was not detained or arrested.

Executive Magistrate Mohammad Jahangir Alam told reporters while sealing the Carey Crescent building on Satmasjid Road in the capital, that the building has been sealed off due to lack of permission to have a restaurant in this building.

Such raids will continue not only in Dhanmondi, but also other areas of the capital where restaurants were built illegally in residential buildings, said police.