Delhi to soon permit third party audit for fire license: CM Rekha Gupta

New Delhi, Dec 10 (PTI) Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Wednesday announced that Delhi will soon permit a third-party audit for fire licence and also implement a single-window licensing regime for hotels and restaurants within the national capital.

Elaborating on a third-party audit, Gupta explained that such an audit would be a key step towards ease of doing business for hoteliers and restaurant owners. She made the announcement at the inauguration of 'Viksit Delhi, Viksit Tourism & Hospitality: Together Towards a Viksit Bharat' summit.

Subsequently, steps and measures would be initiated to facilitate issuance of other licenses from MCD, DDA, and the Delhi government through a single-window system, which are required by the hotels and restaurants, she said.

Gupta informed that the decision regarding the third-party audit for the fire license was taken at a review meeting with the fire department.

In her address at the summit, jointly organised by the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI), Gupta said that during the meeting, it was also discovered that the previous governments had kept critical issues like the issuance of licenses pending.

She added that such pending cases are being attended to on priority by the present government.

The chief minister chaired a review meeting on Tuesday, where she directed that establishments lacking fire safety equipment or violating standards would face appropriate action. The meeting was held after the Goa nightclub fire tragedy, which claimed 25 lives.

The chief minister also advised hoteliers and restaurant owners to install mist fogging atop their properties, as it will help curtail pollution and lower water consumption in localities where hotels and restaurants are situated.   The mist fogging has already commenced in and around Delhi in certain prominent places, and this exercise will be further expanded in other areas to drastically curtail pollution, she noted.

Gupta also assured hoteliers and restaurant owners that more reformative steps would be taken to ensure that Delhi becomes a hub for events and conferences.

Stressing that her government wants to ensure a positive image for Delhi, she alleged that the past governments had hardly taken measures for the development of the national capital, and the BJP, since it has returned to power after a gap of 27 years, is committed to projecting Delhi as a city that attracts every visitor. PTI SLB SLB MPL MPL