New Delhi: Two key demands of the restaurant industry in Delhi are yet to be met. Despite promising that it would look into reduction of drinking age from 25 years to 21 years, the AAP government has not addressed the issue, while Delhi Police has refused to extend the operation hours for restaurants beyond 1am.
The government had allowed setting up of microbreweries in its excise policy of 2015-16 but that too has not taken off as DDA defines breweries as industrial work and is not allowing change of land use.
“We have been told clearly that the deadline issue is not open for discussion. So we will have to approach another authority. Again, microbreweries are classified under industry and, hence, cannot be allowed where one will usually have a restaurant. But microbreweries are not the same and we are trying to drive home this point,” said Riyaaz Amlani, president, National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI).
With the Karnataka government extending its 1am deadline for bars and pubs from weekends to weekdays this year, the association has been asking for a 2.30am deadline on weekends for a trial period of three months. It can be made permanent if there’s no law and order problem, it suggested.
However, NRAI is not all unhappy. The AAP government has substantially improved the ease of doing business, it said. “The licensing process was simplified as was the VAT collection system. A single-window clearance for hosting events has recently been passed and is next on the cards for the hotel industry. Raids at cinema halls, unless approved by a commissioner, have stopped. Registration for hotels, gyms and spas has also been made easier and the rule for paying tax before an event is conducted has been relaxed,” said Amlani.
