In a bid to encourage small entrepreneurs, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC) has again started the process of manually renewing or issuing fresh licence for household factories.

North Delhi Municipal Commissioner Praveen Gupta on Tuesday informed that the decision to restart the process of issuing/renewal of household factory licence has been made taking into consideration the various representations received from small entrepreneurs as they had to face hardship in absence of valid factory license, although permitted in MPD 2012.

Issuance and renewal of factory licence under household category was discontinued as the licences had to be issued as per the Master Plan-2021. “The decision would benefit thousands of small entrepreneurs working under household category as mentioned group A and A-1 of MPD 2021,” Gupta said.

He further informed that people desirous of get household factory licence can get application form and other information for the same on payment of application fees of Rs50 from the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Factory licensing Department.

Section 416 of the MCD Act, 1957 places an obligation on the person desirous to establish in any premises or materially alter, enlarge or extend any factory, workshop or trade premises in which it is intended to employ, steam, electricity, water or other mechanical power to obtain prior permission of Commissioner MCD in writing.

Once the permission is granted under this Section to install some machinery in a premise, it is also an obligatory to obtain a trade licence as laid down under Section 417 (i) before actually starting the trade. In order to streamline the smooth and orderly growth of industries as per provisions of DMC Act, 1957, the Master Plan of Delhi & Pollution Control Committee, GNCTD, and as per judgements delivered by the Supreme Court of India, the provisions are implemented in the NCT of Delhi to minimise the nuisance, health hazard and pollution for the orderly industrial growth in the NCT of Delhi.