Delhi govt's ease-of-doing-biz boost to hospitality sector: Eating house certificate norm relaxed
The exempted categories also include the L-17 (service of liquor at independent restaurants) and L-19 (round-the-clock service of liquor at departure, arrival lounges of international airport) excise licences.The certificate issued by the Delhi Police used to be the "biggest hurdle" before getting the appropriate excise licence, the owner of a city resto-bar said."The process that was specified to be completed within 45 days often used to take months, with last-minute queries posed by police," he said.Getting the fire-safety and municipal corporation permissions is usually easier, he added.The excise department grants the licence to guesthouses, clubs, restaurants and hotels to serve liquor after the submission of the fire-safety and municipal corporation certificates. With the eating-house certificate gone, the process of getting the excise licence will become faster, the resto-bar owner said.Another restaurateur said the scrapping of the eating-house certificate will also help hotels and eateries to operate beyond 1 am for serving food, snacks and non-alcoholic beverages to customers.
Excise licences for hotels, clubs and restaurants stipulate that alcohol will not be served at these places after 1 am.
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