29 June,2011 06:20 AM IST | | Vivek Sabnis
Tired of delays in getting PMC cooking permit, new owners decide to reopen joint even if they have to keep kitchen elsewhere
Sixteen months after the German Bakery blast and after much speculation on the new owners, confirmation has finally come on the reopening of the popular joint in Koregaon Park. The bakery doors will be thrown open for the public in August, and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar has been asked to inaugurate it. "It's been more than a year and we are unable to bear the losses anymore. We have invested Rs 2 crore for the new-look bakery and there are many hurdles to starting early. We have now decided to open the bakery in whatever condition and we will manage the rest," Vijay Shewale, the new management head of German Bakery, said. Talking about the change in the chief guest, Shewale said it was true that they had wanted someone from the German Consulate earlier but had since "reconsidered the decision".
German Bakery
The new bakery shall have a total area of 2,400 sq ft for 60 customers. The bakery will have a ground and first floor. "When the entire work on the bakery shall be done, we will have a total capacity of over 250 customers at a time," Shewale said. Explaining why the Deputy Chief Minister was being invited for the ribbon-cutting, Shewale said Pawar was a generous politician who had donated Rs 10 lakh for the bakery and also visited the spot a couple of times. "He is the one who is keen to start the bakery as early as possible and so we are inviting him to inaugurate the bakery in August," he said. "So far, we have not got confirmation, but we are hopeful he will accept. The problem only lies with a convenient date in August. We can wait till August 15."
Determined: Vijay Shewale and his business partner Rajan Udale say
they can not afford any more delays in opening the new-look German
Bakery. Pic/Vivek sabnis
Permission woes
As permission from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) to cook on the premises is still pending, Shewale said they would have to do prepare the food somewhere else and get it over to the bakery. "We will not cook at the bakery, but only serve food there," Shewale said. "Cooking can be done elsewhere." Shewale and his partner Rajan Udale run a chain of hotels in the city, and the food can be prepared in any one of these establishments.
"We are also toying with the idea of preparing food at some place nearby," Shewale said. Udale, who is looking after the reconstruction and interiors of the bakery, said the work, which includes plans for a mural of those who lost their lives in the blast, would be finished in due course of time. "To run the business, we now have no option but to start the bakery as early as possible," he said.
Voices
I was there when incident (blast) took place. I saw it very closely and whenever I cross the place I remember all the things that happened. It will be good to forget the painful memories
--u00a0Nipun Shandilya,Head Firewall Security agency
I will be going back to German Bakery, but memories of the past will obviously haunt me
--u00a0Rakesh Reddy, Student
German Bakery was one of the fun places in the city. But since the blast, I am very scared to go there. I used to go there on weekends with friends. It will good to see the fun element back around German Bakery
--u00a0Gyanvir, CBS
