Pollution norms violated: 45-day window granted to hotels

In a temporary respite, a 45-day window was today granted to around 500 budget hotels in Delhi, which were recently issued shutdown notices by the Delhi Pollution Control Committee for allegedly violating norms.
The 45-day time-period was granted after various hotel owners' associations approached Delhi Environment Minister Imran Hussain in this regard.
Aam Aadmi Party's trade wing convenor Brijesh Goyal, who led a delegation to the minister, said Hussain, who is also the chairman of the DPCC, assured them that he will look into the matter.
Goyal claimed that these "small establishments" did not violate the air and water pollution norms, which they had been accused of.

"The hotel owners told the minister that theirs were primarily small establishments, mainly guest houses, which did not serve food as they did not have kitchens or restaurants and hence, they were not violating the sewage norms either," he said.
Most of these hotels are located at Paharganj, Karol Bagh, Mahipalpur and Rajendra Nagar.
The notices, issued on April 10, stated that the hotels were operating without statutory approvals as regards air and water pollution and thus, they would have to shut shop.