Kolkata, December 11 (NationPress) The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) is set to intensify surveillance efforts across hotels, bars, nightclubs, and restaurants during the upcoming Christmas and New Year festivities to ensure adherence to entertainment tax regulations and safety standards, revealed a senior official from KMC on Thursday.

As the winter festive season approaches, preparations are underway in the city’s hotels, nightclubs, restaurants, and bars, where numerous concerts, cultural events, and parties are planned. Consequently, the civic authorities in Kolkata have scheduled special monitoring at these venues from December 23 to January 3.

This initiative by KMC follows a tragic nightclub fire in Goa that resulted in the loss of 25 lives.

As per the KMC official, any form of entertainment event during the festive period requires prior approval from the municipal corporation, along with a specific entertainment tax that must be settled.

It has been reported that annually, numerous hotels, upscale nightclubs, and bars host parties without securing the necessary permits. To combat such infractions, the administration is adopting a more stringent approach this year.

A KMC representative stated, "If any event is conducted without the requisite permission, or if the terms of the permit are breached by exceeding the allowable limits, substantial fines will be imposed on the responsible parties. In particular, if events extend past midnight, the tax incurred will double. To ensure compliance, monitoring teams will be deployed daily starting from 6 p.m. On certain nights, inspections will also take place post-midnight."

Additionally, there will be a concentrated effort to guarantee that adequate safety measures are in place at these venues for emergency situations. This includes checking for fire extinguishers, proper entry and exit gates, ventilation, and other critical areas during inspections.

The surveillance efforts will encompass not just hotels and restaurants but also events at various exhibitions, fairgrounds, parks, and open spaces throughout the city.

Municipal sources indicate that in some instances, large entertainment events are conducted under the pretense of fairs or exhibitions while evading tax obligations. This year, strict measures will be enforced if any tax evasion is uncovered, officials reported.