Delhi: SDMC nod for kitchens, dining halls in guest houses, fire NOC a must

Until now, commercial activities in the form of canteens and restaurants were not allowed in guest houses and boarding houses

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC)’s standing committee has approved the construction and operation of kitchens and dining halls in all existing boarding/loading/guest house establishments under its purview.

Catering was allowed for residents of such establishments, as per a circular issued by the Union housing ministry in 1999. (HT Archives)

The civic body plans to grant the permission under multiple regulations while mandating that the dining hall and kitchen be used only to cater to guests residing in the establishment, Piped gas connections and a no-objection certificate from the Delhi fire services are prerequisites for opening a kitchen or dining hall, officials in the know of the matter said. The proposal will now be put to vote in the house and is likely to be passed, they said.

Until now, commercial activities in the form of canteens and restaurants were not allowed in guest houses and boarding houses. Catering was allowed for residents of such establishments, as per a circular issued by the Union housing ministry in 1999.

Guest house operators have welcomed the move and said it will boost business as they will now be able to serve guests with food, which was a basic requirement. They also said the north and east civic bodies must follow suit and approve similar proposals.

In a letter moved by the municipal commissioner to the standing committee, dated 12 January, 2021, he said that several representations from guest house operators have been received seeking permission to operate dining halls with kitchen facilities for in-house guests. Based on the opinion of the town planning department and the building department, the commissioner proposed that conditional permissions to operate kitchens may be granted.

A senior SDMC official said the conditions to operate the kitchen/dining hall will include that these facilities be reserved for in-house guests -- no commercial use or outside customers will be allowed. “Kitchen and dining area should be marked in the sanction plan of the building and applicants will be required to submit plan indicating location of kitchen and an NOC from the fire department. If kitchen is mentioned in the current NOC, then a separate one will not be required. For running the kitchen, piped natural gas connection will be mandatory,” the proposal said. It also mandates that the maximum number of seats in the dining hall cannot exceed the number of beds permitted in the guest house.

While rejecting the proposal in October, the committee had argued that “if the master plan allows guest houses to open a kitchen within the establishment, then there is no need for a separate permission from the committee.”

An official said the matter was contentious because of fire safety norms as a fire in the Arpit guest house in 2019 had led to the deaths of 17 people. “Catering is permitted as per the Delhi master plan norms and it is a matter of interpretation of the master plan by the town planning department. Both town planning and building department have cleared the move,” the official said, asking not to be named.

Pawan Mittal, general secretary of Hotel Mahasagh, an organisation of guest houses, said that this was a welcome move. “If we can’t even provide food to a guest, then that definitely impacts business. We will also demand that the east and north civic bodies follow suit,” he said.

Leader of the house Inderjeet Sehrawat did not comment on the development.