No Police Licence Needed For Hotels, Pools, Discotheques In Delhi

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) today notified orders issued by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena on June 19, aimed at promoting ease of doing business in the national capital.

These orders exempt a wide range of establishments - including swimming pools, restaurants, hotels, motels, guest houses, discotheques, video game parlours, amusement parks and auditoriums - from the requirement of obtaining licences from Delhi Police.

According to officials, the MHA notification comes following the intervention of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who ensured speedy clearance of the proposal forwarded by Delhi Police.

The police had earlier referred the Lt Governor's reform directives to the MHA for a formal notification.

While partial liberalisation of licensing norms for some of these categories had taken place in October 2023 - also on the initiative of Lt Governor Saxena - the current move does away with police licensing requirements entirely for these sectors, officials said.

This decision comes in response to a request that was made by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Lt Governor Saxena, regarding redressal of challenges and bureaucratic hurdles faced by the business community in the national capital under the erstwhile licensing regime.

Described as a landmark step by officials, it is expected to significantly reduce red tape, enable business expansion, and minimise scope for harassment by regulatory agencies.