Following complaints of loud music from residents, the excise department of Delhi government has directed restaurants-cum-bars not to play recorded music.
The department cited Delhi Excise Rules 2010 that only allows live singing or playing of instruments by professionals at restaurants-cum-bars. The violators will face action, the directive said. The order, however, does not apply to hotels and clubs.
There are over 800 restaurants-cum-bars in the city that have licences to serve liquor, and many of them are in residential or commercial areas. Residents say that to attract more people and entertain them, these restaurants play loud music till late in the night, leaving the ones living nearby annoyed. “However, the excise department has not received any complaints against hotels and clubs. If there are complaints of loud music being played by them, the department may issue a similar directive to them as well,” said an official.
Delhi Excise Rules 2010, under the conduct of business rule 53 (4), lays down that restaurants-cum-bars licensed to serve liquor and food can only allow live singing or playing of instruments by professionals. “The rules are silent on whether professionals should sing with or without mike or what their volume should be, but they clearly say that only live singing and playing of instruments by professionals are allowed...and no music can be played,” said an official.
The excise department has also decided to keep a strict watch to make sure that the directive is followed. “The department’s enforcement wing will carry out inspections to ensure that the restaurants-cum-bars stick to the rules”, an official said.
The excise department has seen a steady revenue growth over the years. In 2008-09, the revenue collection was only Rs 1420.91 crore, while it was Rs 4551.57 crore in 2017-18. “Drives are often carried out to catch violators and bolster revenue