The meeting decided to ensure the introduction of licensing reforms in the restaurant industry.
New Delhi:
In a major relief for the city’s restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Delhi government said on Wednesday that these establishments will be able to operate 24 hours a day and the requirement for tourism licenses will also be removed.
The government also announced other measures, such as starting a process to abolish police licenses and local agency health business licenses for restaurants to end “raj permit” in the industry, according to a statement.
The decisions were made at a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, which was attended by restaurant owners.
The Delhi government said these steps will help the industry generate more jobs through increased demand. This will set an example of the “Delhi Model” of ease of doing business, he said.
“At the request of the restaurateurs to allow the business 24×7, it was agreed that the restaurants will be able to operate at all hours on the condition that they present a commitment that they will take care of the health and safety of all their personnel,” he added. statement said.
Arvind Kejriwal also ordered that business health licenses issued by municipal corporations to restaurants should be abolished within 10 days, he said.
At the meeting, the excise department agreed to review the existing policy of an automatic 10 percent increase in license fees each year.
Senior Deputy Minister Manish Sisodia, who also attended the meeting, ordered that steps be taken for restaurants to pay the texcise by March 31 from the existing deadline of February 28, and to make quarterly payments from the interest-free license fee, according to the release.
The meeting was attended by members, ministers and senior officials of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).
At the meeting, decisions were made for the economic reactivation of the hotel industry.
“Delhi restaurants are the pride of Delhi and provide employment for thousands of people. I have directed all respective departments to eliminate unnecessary problems in the smooth running of restaurants,” Arvind Kejriwal said after the meeting.
The NRAI gave a detailed presentation on easing and easing regulations and on the “raj permit” that limits the growth of the restaurant industry in Delhi.
The meeting decided to implement measures to ensure the introduction of licensing reforms in the restaurant industry.
Riyaaz Amlani, restaurateur and NRAI member, said: “Restaurants are key to generating employment in the city with thousands of people employed in this industry. It is currently one of the most regulated industries, requiring multiple NOCs and duplication of licenses. . “
By deregulating the industry, more restaurants will open and this will create more jobs and help the tourism industry, he said.
Arvind Kejriwal ordered that business health licenses, which are issued by municipal corporations to restaurants, should be abolished within 10 days.
Restaurateurs had previously said that the FSSAI, a body operating under the Center, already issues food safety and hygiene licenses. The issuance of health trade licenses by local agencies doubles the task and is irrelevant, they said.
The NRAI delegation requested that police licenses be abolished as restaurants are part of the retail sector and no other retail establishment is required to obtain a police license.
The prime minister assured that the decision to provide relief to restaurants from police licenses will be made shortly after discussions with stakeholders, the statement said.
He said the decision was made to completely eliminate licenses from the tourism industry to open or run a restaurant.
“It was decided that other relevant suggestions related to amendments to excise regulations will be considered included in a new policy currently in preparation, which will allow to extend the hours of operation of restaurants on weekends until 3 am,” the statement read. the notice.
Decisions were also made at the meeting to immediately amend the archaic excise rules to allow service in open areas, balconies, verandas without any additional charge; allow additional dispensing counters on the premises at no additional charge; enable branding within the premises; allow licenses for all types of music, including DJs, live bands, and karaoke; and abolish the requirement for a designated liquor store and allow stock to be held anywhere on the premises.
At the request of simplifying fire regulations for restaurants located in old and heritage sites such as Connaught Place, Khan Market, it was decided that a technical committee would be constituted that in 10 days will examine ways to improve fire safety in such places, without the need to make structural changes to existing restaurants.
Based on the committee’s recommendations, the prime minister will decide on the enforcement of uniform fire safety standards in Delhi, the statement said.
The Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC) had previously exempted restaurants with less than 100 seats from the need to compulsorily install Effluent Treatment Plants (ETPs).
However, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) had issued recent guidelines requiring the installation of ETPs for restaurants with more than 36 seats.
“Given the extreme space limitations in and around many small restaurants, it was agreed at the meeting that DPCC would write to the CPCB with a request to revert to the previous DPCC decision waiving the requirement for a dedicated ETP for restaurants with less than 100 seating capacity, “the statement read.
It was decided that the DPCC will issue a clarification to municipal corporations on the permissibility of charcoal in grills and tandores and to ensure that “harassment” of restaurateurs stops on this front, he said.
After a discussion with officials from the Weights and Measures department, it was decided that restaurants will be exempted from stamping and checking scales, the statement said.
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