To boost ease of doing business, the Delhi government has shifted the licence process for commercial areas like hotels, motels, guest houses, restaurants, swimming pools, auditoriums, video game parlors, discotheques, and entertainment parks to the municipal corporation and other relevant departments.
Prior to this, such licences were issued by the Delhi Police.
The move is expected to give impetus to ‘ease of doing business’, encourage business, and ensure administrative accountability.
Speaking on the move, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta told reporters, “This decision is not only timely but also farsighted, practical and extremely important from the administrative point of view. For the move, I sincerely thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Lieutenant Governor Vinay Kumar Saxena.”
For years, the Delhi Police had the additional burden of licensing responsibilities, which was affecting their core law and order responsibilities, she added. “In line with the vision of the PM, our government has always worked on the principle of ‘Minimum Government, Maximum Governance’ and this decision is a result of that,” she added.
Furthermore, the CM further said that the move showcases a better tuning between the Centre, the Delhi government and the LG as this will help the police to focus only on important issues like law and order, crime control and women’s safety. “I assure the people of Delhi that now the licensing process will be simple, transparent and digital, which will eliminate unnecessary hassles,” she added.
Further elaborating on the move, Gupta said the step has started a new chapter towards making Delhi a more administratively efficient, systematic and accountable capital and will prove to be effective and efficient in the direction of ‘Developed Delhi’.