Delhi govt ends police permission for hotels, pools, entertainment trades

The Delhi government on June 28 withdrew long-standing police regulations for seven commercial activities, including hotels, swimming pools, restaurants, discotheques, video game parlours, amusement parks, and auditoriums, reported news agency PTI.

 

The change follows an order dated June 19 by Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who exercised his authority under Section 28(2) read with Section 4 of the Delhi Police Act, 1978. The order nullifies regulations that had been enforced for several decades, ranging from those introduced in 1980 for swimming pools to more recent rules from 2023 concerning hotels, restaurants, and other entertainment venues.

 

In line with the directive, Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora issued a notification formally repealing the regulations, the report added.

 

 

With the withdrawal of these regulations, Delhi Police will no longer be responsible for issuing No Objection Certificates (NOCs) or other licences for these commercial activities.

 

The licensing function will now shift to local civic authorities such as the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), and the Delhi Cantonment Board, PTI reported. 

 

Speaking at a press conference on June 23, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said the move will free up police resources for law enforcement priorities.

 

"This was a long-pending demand of the people and business community of Delhi for over 40 years. Nearly 25,000 establishments were getting delayed and around 10 to 20 lakh people associated with them were suffering due to this public management bottleneck. That ends today," Gupta said.

 

“This is a historic day for Delhi. This major reform will allow police to dedicate their energy and resources to actual policing," she added.   (With PTI inputs)