The industry seems upbeat, at least with the reassurances by the government since the result on ground will take some time to materialize.
NEW DELHI: The AAP government has decided to address the long-pending demands of the restaurant industry in Delhi by offering them an environment conducive to ease of doing business. This includes a simplified licensing process and planning tourism hubs with focus on hospitality and dining.
The industry seems upbeat, at least with the reassurances by the government since the result on ground will take some time to materialize. A three-member committee headed by finance secretary SN Sahai is looking at various aspects of ease of doing business and is expected to submit a report on the licensing structure to the chief minister in the coming days.
Government sources said that at present a restaurant requires 15-16 licences, some of which may not even be relevant and the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has been asked to revert with details on each. "Talks are on with departments. The committee is working on a report and will submit it to the CM soon," said a source.
The association has met several people in the government, from the tourism minister to senior bureaucrats and says that there is definite interest in simplifying the system. "We discussed setting up of 15 tourist hubs with the tourism department. These will give huge leverage to dining and, hence, promote the industry as well. The tourism minister has also asked the municipal corporations and NDMC to allow use of open spaces for serving food," said Riyaaz Amlani, president, NRAI.
The changes introduced in the past six months include making the licence renewal process online, in turn reducing human interface which, sources claim, has resulted in a definite reduction in corruption. The government has allowed setting up of microbreweries, though Kumar says there are still lose ends to tie up. There is a definite agenda for restaurant-based tourism hubs while a special committee is looking at the licensing process.
"This is for the first time that so many steps are being taken and we are glad. The result will take a while to show but at least there is movement towards ease of doing business. Not only will this encourage the industry but also increase government revenue," said Prakul Kumar, secretary general of NRAI.
Restaurateurs say that multiplicity of agencies, especially for granting licences, is a major point of corruption other than leading to harassment. "While the Centre and previous governments have been talking about ease of doing business, nothing much has changed on ground. Counting all the licensing, permissions and registrations, there are 15-odd types of clearances we require leading to inspector raaj," said Kumar.
"Several issues are local like dealing with civic agencies. An example is the health licence given by the corporation. When there is Food Safety and Standards Authority of India, why do we need this additional licence?" said Kumar.
No comments:
Post a Comment