After Humming Tree and BFlat, one of Bengaluru’s popular pubs – Monkey Bar is shutting its doors on 24 November. In a statement, Manu Chandra, chef and Chief Partner at Monkey Bar, said that the pub had to shut down as it was unable to procure a public entertainment license.
For Manu Chandra and the Monkey Bar team, the closure of the Indiranagar branch is personal, with the restaurant and bar having first set up shop in Bengaluru in 2012 before it expanded with branches in other parts of the country. For now, it's the end of the road for Monkey Bar in the city it first called home.
Speaking to TNM, Manu Chandra said that Monkey Bar could not get the license as the building owners had not procured an Occupational Certificate from the civic body – Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.
BBMP is supposed to issue Occupational Certificates only if the said building follows the fire safety norms and the building bye-laws. However, several bar owners have alleged that this process is not followed through properly.
Impossible to Run Bona Fide Restaurants
The Supreme Court upheld the Licensing and Controlling Places of Public Entertainment (Bangalore City) Order, 2005 in January 2018 following a dispute that dragged on for several years. In addition to this, a group of Indiranagar residents moved the Karnataka High Court against the illegalities in the operation of pubs in the area.
Earlier in September, several popular bars in Indiranagar including Humming Tree, BFlat and BTDT had shut as they were not given the license. In some cases, the bars did not have an OC and others did not get the license as the building owners had not complied with fire safety norms.
These three bars were known for their live music performances, especially Humming Tree and BFlat, as they provided a platform for budding musicians to perform.
“The Bangalore landscape has changed to an extent where it is almost impossible to run a bona fide restaurant and bar business today. We are always supportive of the authorities and the interests of everyone in a city and try and work closely with the laws as they exist. Retroactive decision making, post all clearances and investment and effort, is a huge setback and ends up punishing so many legitimate businesses. Rules that ought to have been rationalised years ago, get used as mechanisms for making things impossible to those running their business and that is very wrong. Monkey Bar became a Bangalore cult brand, a story that spread across the country from this city. We will be back, hopefully soon.” Manu Chandra said.
(Published in an arrangement with The News Minute)
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