The Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on Monday constituted a high power committee to ease and facilitate the licensing requirements of restaurants, eating houses and hotels. Sources at Raj Niwas said that the Principal Secretary (Home) will head the committee, which has been asked to submit its report within 15 days.
The move came days after the Lieutenant Governor recent decision to allow 314 establishments in the national Capital to operate round-the-clock. Their applications were pending since 2016. These establishments included online food and medicines delivery services, logistics, transport and travel services from Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPOs) and Business process outsourcing (BPOs).
The other members of the committee included from senior representatives of the department of Information Technology, Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), and Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Delhi Police, Delhi Fire Services and New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). The committee 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.
As per the statement released by the Raj Niwas, this move will provide an overall fillip to the Hospitality Sector, and pave the way for late night dining, Alfresco Eateries and dining in open air and terraces.
Giving details about the factors on which the committee will focus, the statement stated that its main focus will be 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,” it said.
“The L-G held many meetings over the last month with officials of Delhi Police, Local Bodies and Environment Department amongst others, to ensure that a enabling regimen is put into place for the Hotel/Restaurant/Hospitality Industry. Saxena stressed upon 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 and order,” it said.
Saxena noted that Delhi’s Hospitality Sector has yet not achieved its full potential due to the current procedure of opening a hospitality establishment in the national capital is outdated and often led to complaints of harassment and corruption as well.
The process includes registration/licensing and inspecting processes of Delhi Police, civic bodies such as MCD and NDMC, Fire Department and the DPCC, it read.