NDMC hikes health licence fees for hotels, restaurants

New Delhi: New Delhi Municipal Council (

NDMC

) on Thursday increased its annual health licence fees for grant/renewal of various trade licences. The changes, introduced as per a decision taken in a 2018 meeting, have been made effective from April 1, 2021.

Business

establishments like hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, lodging houses and sweet shops in the NDMC areas will have to pay the increased fees, stated an order issued by the health licensing department.

“There would not be any increase in the fees for small kiosks/stalls, Mother Dairy booths, water trolleys, etc. In the rest of the categories, too, the increase is minimal — from Rs 100 to Rs 1,700 annually — except in the case of five-star hotels,” said an NDMC official. The five-star hotels will have to pay Rs 65,500 instead of the previous Rs 61,200. The licence for shops and cafes in hotels will be taken separately, not as part of the hotel.

In all cases, any delay in obtaining or renewing the licence beyond the prescribed period will attract an additional 5% penalty of the fee per month, said the official.

There will be no increase in health licence fees for 25% cases, which cover all small shops, stalls, water trolleys etc. In 40% cases, there will be an increase of Rs 400, 30% cases will see an increase of Rs 900, 2% cases Rs 100 and 1% cases covering five-star hotels etc. will pay Rs 4,300 extra, said the official.

Traders are not at all happy with the move and defined it untimely and a burden on them as they are already trying to come out of the pandemic losses.