Hotels exempted from seeking police permission in Maharashtra
It was earlier mandatory for hotels and eating houses in the state to get permission from the police to get these licences
Proprietors of hotels and restaurants in the state will no longer have to seek police permission to run businesses. Making this announcement on Saturday, the state government declared that police permission will not be needed for organising live concerts and shows at hotels and restaurants
The state government has repealed the requirement of seeking police permissions for eating house registration certificate, swimming pool licence, place of public entertainment licence (PPEL-A), place of public entertainment licence (PPEL-B) and performance licence. It was earlier mandatory for hotels and eating houses in the state to get permission from the police to get these licences.
This means hotels and restaurants across categories will not have to take or renew police permission for doing businesses. This even extends to hotels with swimming pools also.
To make this possible, the state home department has repealed three rules — Brihanmumbai Eatery Registration Certificate Rules, The Greater Bombay Swimming Pool Rules and Brihanmumbai Public Places Entertainment Rules — formed under Bombay Police Act, 1951, said Vijay Satbir Singh, principal secretary, home department.
“Till now, hotel owners had to take the permission from the police before they organise a show or an event be it a live music concert or a dance performance. The hotels and restaurants even have to take permission to serve liquor and to extend lodging and boarding facilities. Also, the permissions had to be renewed every year. Now they are free from these compliances,” Singh told HT.
Significantly, police permission will have to be taken to organise live performances at open spaces.
The move has been made to boost tourism and hotel industry in the state. The decision was taken in the wake of ‘Ease of doing business’ initiative of the Central BJP government, in which every department has been asked to reduce the number of permissions and licences needed to run businesses and make the initiative successful.