Delhi L-G constitutes panel to ease and facilitate licensing requirements for restaurants

The committee headed by Principal Secretary (Home) and comprising senior representatives of the IT Department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), MCD, Delhi Police, Fire Services and NDMC, will inter alia focus on reducing the number of licenses, tweaking and deleting archaic regulations rooted in subordinate legislation, minimum documentation, fixed timelines for grant of licenses, complete online processes embedded in a Single Window portal and promotion of self regulation etc.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has constituted a committee of senior officials of the concerned departments/agencies to ease and facilitate the licensing requirements of restaurants, eating houses and hotels. Apart from providing an overall fillip to the hospitality sector, this would pave the way for late night dining, al fresco eateries and dining in open air and terraces.

The committee headed by Principal Secretary (Home) and comprising senior representatives of the IT Department, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), MCD, Delhi Police, Fire Services and NDMC, will inter alia focus on reducing the number of licenses, tweaking and deleting archaic regulations rooted in subordinate legislation, minimum documentation, fixed timelines for grant of licenses, complete online processes embedded in a Single Window portal and promotion of self regulation etc. The committee will be able to co-opt members and will take comprehensive input from stakeholder Hotel and Restaurant Associations, etc. The LG has directed the committee to submit its report/recommendations within 15 days.

The move comes in continuation with of LG's recent decision to allow 314 establishments that include online delivery services of food, medicines, logistics, transport and travel services, other essential commodities apart from KPOs and BPOs, applications of whose were pending since as long back as 2016, to operate on a 24X7 basis in the capital. The LG, who ever since taking over, has been insisting upon promoting Delhi with the Prime Minister's dictum of 'Less Government, More Governance' and implementing 'Ease of Doing Business', for providing boost to economic activity, employment generation and 'Night Time Economy', held many meetings over the last one month with officials of Delhi Police, local bodies and environment department amongst others, to ensure that an enabling regimen is put into place for the Hotel/Restaurant/Hospitality Industry.

His stress has been on rationalizing licensing requirements, easing prohibitive regulations and processes, ensuring faceless and online interface between regulators and entrepreneurs to mitigate harassment and corruption and ensuring security through proper law & order. As of now, Hospitality Establishments/Entrepreneurs, especially those from the small and medium segment, in the city are subjected to registration/licensing and inspecting processes of Delhi Police, Local Bodies (MCD & NDMC), Fire Department and the DPCC. These processes and requirements are often found to be outdated, unnecessarily restrictive, coercive and discretionary. They have often led to complaints of harassment and corruption as well, resulting in the fact that unlike other global and Indian cities, Delhi's hospitality sector has yet not achieved its full potential.

It is expected that the changes and amendments brought about, vide the report of this committee, will not only come as big relief to the pandemic-hit hospitality industry, but more importantly, also provide a major boost to the 'Night Time Economy', thereby generating greater employment and ensuring economic growth. (ANI)

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