Unlock 5: In Delhi, restaurants allowed to operate 24x7

New Delhi : In a major relief to the restaurants in the national capital, Delhi government has allowed them to operate 24x7 and requirement of tourism license will also be removed.

The government also announced other measures such as initiating a process to abolish police licences and health trade licenses from local bodies for restaurants to end ''permit raj'' in the industry, according to a statement.

The decision has been taken in a meeting between CM Arvind Kejriwal and restaurant owners.

The Delhi government aims to generate more employment via the industry. This will set an example of the ''Delhi Model'' of ease of doing business, it said.

"On the request of restaurateurs to allow 24x7 business, it was agreed that restaurants will be allowed to operate at all hours subject to the condition that they submit an undertaking that they will take care of the health and security of their entire staff," the statement said.

The meeting was attended by National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) members and ministers and senior officers.

"Delhi's restaurants are the pride of Delhi and provide employment to lakhs of people. I have directed all respective departments to remove unnecessary hassles in the smooth running of restaurants," Arvind Kejriwal said after the meeting.