Surprise police checks reveal flouting of norms by many hotels in Visakhapatnam

The Hindu

27-05-2025

As part of security measures, the city police conducted surprise inspections at more than 80 hotels and lodges simultaneously on Monday night.
Following instructions from the Commissioner of Police, Shankabratha Bagchi, police teams under the supervision of senior officials conducted the raids between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. They uncovered multiple violations by several hotels including operating without proper licences, mandatory fire No Objection Certificate (NOC), trade licences, and other essential clearances.
Multiple teams took part in the raids in different areas in Zone I and II and each team was equipped with body-worn cameras and included a woman police constable or woman home guard to ensure gender-sensitive procedures during the checks.
The inspections focused on verifying the identity of guests, checking for individuals with Non-Bailable Warrants (NBWs), absconding suspects, and minors. Officials also assessed whether hotels were adhering to operational regulations such as maintaining valid trade licences, fire NOCs, GST registrations, and FSSAI licences. Compliance with safety measures like functioning CCTV cameras, metal detectors, and baggage scanners was also reviewed.
The police discovered that eight hotels lacked a valid fire NOC, while seven hotels were operating without a basic trade licence. As many as 22 hotels did not possess the mandatory FSSAI licence required for serving food in the hotel. Seven hotels had not been updating guest data with the city police's Visitor Monitoring System (VMS), a key tool for tracking the movement of suspicious individuals arriving in the city.
The police have begun coordinating with relevant departments to initiate action pertaining to the violations.
Mr. Bagchi, in a release, stated that such raids will be conducted randomly as part of crime prevention and security measures.