Only 300 restaurants in Delhi have consent of DPCC: NGT told

Of the thousands of eating joints operating in the national capital, only about 300 have obtained consent from Delhi Pollution Control Committee (DPCC), a special panel today informed the National Green Tribunal.
The submission was made in the report of the nine-member committee set up by NGT to suggest measures to control water and air pollution, for solid waste management, water conservation, sanitation and hygiene, waste minimisation and better work practices by the eating joints.
The committee was set up while NGT was dealing with the issue of several Hauz Khas eateries operating without consent of the DPCC and discharging untreated waste.

The panel placed its 16-page report before a NGT bench of justices P Jyothimani and M S Nambiar which directed the DPCC to ensure that it is widely published so as to inform the eating joints here about the committee's recommendations as well as invite their views on the issue.
The tribunal also said that any eating joint having any objection to the suggestions may inform it.
In its report, the panel said "Ironically while issuing licences/registration, none of the agencies, ask for consent of DPCC. Consequently, till date, only about 300 hotels/ restaurants have applied for consent under Air/Water Act from DPCC while thousands are operating without obtaining any consent from DPCC," it said.

The report stated that the different civic agencies, the three municipal corporations of Delhi (North, South, East) and the New Delhi Municipal Council among them have granted 3688 licences/no objection certificates (NOCs) to eating joints while Delhi Police has granted 5493 NOCs.
"There is no denying the fact that some of these units are operating without obtaining consent from DPCC," the report stated, adding that consent to operate from DPCC be made mandatory by the registration issuing agencies, especially at the time of renewal of licence.