Restaurants, clubs, gyms, hotels and a host of other businesses in South Delhi will have to fork out more for a health trade licence from the local civic body.
The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) will be hiking both the licence fee and the one-time registration fee for health trade licences, which have not been revised since 2001.
The Standing Committee of the SDMC cleared the proposal on Tuesday, and the hike will be implemented after the House passes it, most likely next month.
Interestingly, five-star hotels currently pay only Rs. 500 as annual health trade licence fee, in addition to Rs.10,000 as the registration fee. Now, the five-star hotels will have to pay Rs.50,000 as the annual fee and Rs.15,000 as the one-time registration fee. Strangely, canteens, dhabas and eating houses that have up to 20 seats will have to pay more than five-star hotels. From the existing Rs.1,000 per year, these establishments will now have to pay the SDMC Rs. 5,000 for a health trade licence.
Apart from food joints, manufacturing units, storage spaces and even small roadside pan shops will have to pay more for the licences. According to official estimates, the increase will net the SDMC Rs.730 lakh in revenue, up from the current estimate of Rs.155 lakh per year.
Though the BJP-led Corporation is likely to implement the hike soon, the Opposition Congress refused to sign off on the proposal. Leader of Opposition Farhad Suri said the Congress was against the hike.
The SDMC Standing Committee cleared proposal on Tuesday, and the hike will be implemented after the House passes it
