Royal Plaza Hotel situated at Ashok Road in the heart of the Capital may have to shut down its operation for violating environmental norms. Delhi's environment watchdog Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) has directed the Deputy Commissioner of New Delhi to close the hotel.
It has also directed the Deputy Commissioner, Factory licensing Department of the civic body to cancel the licence of M/s Hotel Queen Road Private limited, the company owning the hotel. The committee has further asked the chief executive officer of Delhi Jal Board (DJB) and the general manager of BSES Rajdhani Power limited to disconnect water and electricity supply to the property.
"The department has given enough time to rectify the deficiencies, but hotel management failed to do so. The hotel is being running without the permission of DPCC. Their licence expired in 2011, but they did not inform the department," said officials of the committee. DPCC officials have forgotten while issuing this order that the area falls under New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which provides water, electricity to Ashoka Road.
It is mandatory provision of the Air (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1981 and Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act 1974 to no person without the previous consent of the DPCC shall establish or take any step to establish any industry, operation or process or any treatment and disposal system an extension or addition thereto, which is likely to discharge sewage or trade effluent into a stream or well or sewer or on land.
According to DPCC officials, the hotel authorities had applied for consent to operate license on September 17, 2008 for three years. The date of licence has expired on September 16, 2011, but they have failed to renew their licence. Officials stated that they have not informed DPCC about expiry of their licence.
"On December 7, 2012, during the inspection, several deficiencies have been found. After that a show-cause notice was sent to them. In response to the show-cause notice, they sought a period of four months to rectify the deficiencies without an application of consent to operate," said officials.