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DDMA permits reopening of hotels in the national capital

Restaurants and gyms will remain closed as a preventive measure to curb the infection.

by bond
DDMA permits reopening of hotels in the national capital

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) has approved reopening of hotels in the national capital. However, the restaurants and gyms will remain closed as a preventive measure to curb the infection. 

Lt Governor Anil Baijal accorded the permission for reopening hotels in a DDMA meeting held on Wednesday (19th August 2020). 

Welcoming the announcement of the opening of hotels in Delhi, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Culture & Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel thanked the Home Minister & Lt. Governor of Delhi and said: “Opening of the two biggest segments of the tourism industry viz hotels & restaurants in the country’s capital is a positive move that will help push domestic travel and give much relief to the industry which has been reading itself with all health and safety protocols.”

In a bid to reboot the tourism activities, Tourism Minister, Prahlad Singh Patel has requested that Home Ministry to  consider allowing the banquets halls and conference facilities to operate at 50 per cent of their capacity by following the existing safety protocols and social distancing norms, a move that will help kickstart the MICE Industry.

Commenting on the decision, Hotel Association of India (HAI) said, “We welcome the move by the State Government to allow the hotel and hospitality businesses to start operations again in New Delhi. Indian hospitality industry holds immense potential to be a global leader and we believe this move will slowly help the capital-intensive, people-centric sector to gradually inch towards revival.”

“While the opening of hotels in Delhi will help in aiding the resurgence of the sector, there is a lot more support required to keep the Survival, Revival, and Thrival of the industry in mind. We have been aggressively pursuing the government – both State and Central – to allow an extension on loan moratorium, relief towards Property Tax, Excise Duty, Fixed Electricity, and Power Costs. Our vision is to provide all the necessary elements that will propel the sector towards heightened growth in the years to come. Extending support to the government, we have also proposed to bring in an inter-state task force to share the load in reviving the sector,”added HAI.

Dr. Jyotsna Suri, Executive Committee Member, Hotel Association of India and Chairperson and MD, Bharat Hotels Limited said, “We welcome the move of the Government for reopening of hotels in Delhi. We are thankful to Shri Anil Baijal, Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi and Shri Prahlad Singh Patel, Hon’ble Minister of State for Tourism and Culture (IC) for this initiative. This decision will enable the revival of the industry and help sustain the livelihood of many employees affected by the lockdown. We look forward to resuming operations as per new norms and with strict hygiene and sanitisation protocols.”

Ankur Bhatia, Executive Director, Bird Group, said, “We welcome this decision of the DDMA to finally allow the operation of hotels. This will enable the sector in delhi to be at par with neighbouring states. Also, it will enable the industry to slowly boot itself for the new normal. It will also give the respite of getting out of their houses and enjoying hospitality options in the city. We are awaiting details of the order.”