In a huge relief to restaurants in the national Capital, the tourism department of Delhi Government on Tuesday notified the termination of the process of granting approvals to standalone restaurants in Delhi. The decision to provide a major relief to the restaurant industry that affected especially after a major economic downfall due to the Covid-19 lock-down was taken following the direction of the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
The notification comes in the wake of a meeting convened by Kejriwal last month, wherein he directed
various officials to remove hassles in the ease of doing business for the restaurant industry in Delhi.
As per the order, “In terms of decision taken by the Chief Minister of Delhi in the meeting dated October 7 regarding Ease of Doing Business for Restaurants, the ‘Voluntary Scheme of Granting
Approval’ to the ‘Standalone Restaurants’ being implemented by the tourism department is hereby discontinued with immediate effect.”
Before June 2003, the scheme for granting approvals to restaurants was being implemented by the Ministry of Tourism on an all India basis. However, the scheme was discontinued on an all India bases w.e.f June 30, 2003, and the States were asked to formulate their own guidelines if they wished to implement the scheme.
The scheme was adopted by the tourism department in the same year and formally launched in 2004 for all restaurants having more than 30 seats. Various reviews and reconsiderations were done by the department over the years on the request of restaurant associations. However, owing to the recent circumstances (Covid-19), CM Kejriwal has ordered the removal of the voluntary scheme of granting approval for standalone restaurants, the government said in a statement.
On October 7, Kejriwal had convened a meeting with the delegation of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), wherein he directed several ministers and top officials of various departments and agencies to remove
hassles in the ease of doing business for the restaurant industry in Delhi. In the meeting, various decisions were taken for the economic revival of the hospitality industry in the national capital.
“A detailed representation was received from the NRAI, to provide relief and ease regulations and approvals constraining the growth of the restaurant industry in Delhi. The notification to remove grant of approval by the tourism department to standalone restaurants has been issued in the wake of the same meeting, which will provide relief to the hospitality industry, encourage their economic growth and generation of employment in the industry,” it said.