New Delhi Municipal Council raises health licence fee for several businesses

The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has raised the annual health licence fee for several businesses, including restaurants, hotels, banquet halls and theatres, and the highest increase is of INR 5,300 for five-star hotels. The increase ranged between INR 100 and INR 5,300 across categories, an NDMC official said.

There has been no increase in health licence fee for a few categories of business such as laundry, boiler, hawking and dairy booths, he added.

An order was issued on May 6 for the increase in fees with effect from April 1.

The health licence fee for a five-star hotel was increased from INR 75,300 to INR 80,600, the highest across categories.

Some businesses such as meat shops, hawking on cycle, water trolley and ice-cream trolley saw an increase of INR 100.

In the hospitality area, there was an increase of INR 200 for guest houses with one to 20 beds, INR 500 for 21-50 beds, INR 1,000 for 50-100 beds, and INR 2,300 for ones with more than 100 beds, according to the order.

"Annual revision in the health licence fees for grant and renewal of various trade licences for carrying out business activities like hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, lodging houses, sweet shops and small stalls/kiosk selling daily eatable items, etc. in NDMC area has been effected by NDMC with effect from 01/04/2023," the NDMC said in a statement.

"The increase in amount is minimal from INR 100 to INR 2,000 annually except in case of lodging houses and five-star Hotels," the statement read.

The NDMC also said the licence for each restaurant, cafe and coffee shop has to be taken separately and shall not be included in the licence of hotels.

For the renewal application received after April 30 and within one year from the date of expiry of the health licence, late fee charges — five per cent of the licence fee per month — will be charged, the order stated.