MCD: 136 OPEN-AIR DINING LICENCES ISSUED ACROSS CITY

NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday said it has issued 136 open-air dining licences for eateries and restaurants across the city, of which 116 are for open spaces adjoining the restaurants and 20 are for terraces.

The open-air dining policy was originally launched in September 2020 by the public health department of the erstwhile South civic body and later adopted by the North body. The newly unified MCD finalised a unified policy for open-air dining on November 4, 2022 to bring about uniformity in regulations. The unified open-air dining policy now also covers East Delhi areas. According to a senior municipal official, the move was cleared before the announcement of the MCD election.

A second official said that according to the revised policy, there is no requirement for a separate fire NOC for the licence. “But the number of people permitted in the restaurant will remain the same. For example, if a restaurant larger than 90sqm has a fire NOC for 50 people, it must accommodate them both indoors and outdoors. No more people will be allowed,” he said.