You can soon dine in the open in south Delhi eateries

Delhiites may soon treat themselves to a new dining experience. Taking a cue from European countries, south Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) is planning to allow open-air restaurants along with light music.

A draft policy has already been prepared, a senior official said. “The new policy will allow the existing health trade-licence holders to use their open space for such restaurants. Besides offering a new dining experience, the move will also help the civic body in generating more revenues,” he added.

SDMC has around 2,000 restaurants and eateries under its jurisdiction and several hundreds of these establishments will be able to utilise their open space on the ground floor to expand their operations. The draft proposal will now be sent to the deliberative wing of the corporation for the final approval.

The draft makes it clear that “neither live band performances nor loud music will be allowed. Only light music like mellow jazz or ghazal can be played in the background,” another official said. Regulations prohibit noise levels to be higher than 45-55 decibels in the residential areas.

However, unlike some west European countries, establishments will not be allowed to use the pavement space for seating arrangements. “Open areas should be privately owned by a licensee and no public area can be encroached upon,” the official added.

To prevent fire accidents, the draft prohibits any open-area kitchen. “Food will have to be prepared in enclosed kitchens, which will have to follow all safety standards in terms of hygiene and fire safety,” he said.

To regulate these open-air restaurants, SDMC has decided that only people with a licence for running an indoor restaurant will be allowed to run these new facilities.

While the draft proposes a licensing fee of around Rs 100 per square foot, the final rates will be decided by the standing committee and the SDMC House. “This policy will now be sent to the standing committee and minor tweaks are expected,” the official said. Under the current plan, an open-air restaurant with a sitting capacity of 50 people may have to shell out Rs 45-50,000 annually.

Source:- Economic Times

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