Katriya Hotel building unsafe

​Hyderabad: “There is no hospitality like understanding how we would like you to remember us”, reads the website of Katriya Hotels, the luxury hotel at Somajiguda on Raj Bhavan Road, where fire broke out on Tuesday morning.

Contrary to the claims by the hotel management, a nine storey building is running without permission (NOC) from the State disaster response and fire services department.

Director General of the fire services department, Rajiv Ratan said in a release on Tuesday that the fire fighting systems in the hotel did not function at the time of fire as they were kept switched off.

He said the department was launching Prosecution under the Telangana Fire Services Act against the owner of the hotel and also recommending the licensing authority to close the building as it is unsafe and a fire hazard.

According to him, there was a fire accident in the hotel at about 8 AM on Tuesday. Three fire trucks along with one Bronto Sky Lift were deployed to put out the fire. The fire fighters were able to put out the fire by 9 AM.

The fire was of electric origin and ignited mattresses and other fabric stored in the shaft around the lift. Fourth and Fifth floors saw the maximum damage.

There were no human casualties, the top official said. Meanwhile, sources in the fire services department said that several hotels,

hospitals and other establishments were being run in buildings which do not have proper fire safety measures and pose serious threat to the safety of the people.