‘Ease of Doing Business’ for hotel & Restaurants in mumbai takes a big stride forward

NINETEEN LICENSES CURTAILED TO JUST THREE; MCGM STREAMLINES LICENCING PROCESS FOR HOSPITALITY

The Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India (HRAWI) has welcomed the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai’s (MCGM) decision to streamline the licencing process forhospitality industry. A circular issued by the MCGM has, with immediate effect, eliminated the multiplicity and duplicity of many licences and limited them to just three. The move also entails issuance of a composite licence for the hospitality industry within a stipulated timeframe, saving businesses both time and money. Going forward hospitality establishments will be able to obtain licences for commencing and operating business by submitting a single application form through a One Window System.

“This decision is music to all HRAWI members’ ears and we, at HRAWI welcome it whole heartedly. After years of HRAWI’s persistently deliberating and following up with the various departments and stakeholders on the Single Window Clearance System for Licences for the hospitality industry, the model will now be realized to a major extent. Absence of this system was a big hindrance to both commencing and operating a business but with it being streamlined, we at HRAWI will now have resolved a majority of the concerns pertaining Ease of Doing Business. We are thankful to the MCGM and the Government of Maharashtra (GoM) for having viewed our request with a positive approach,” says Mr Dilip Datwani, President, HRAWI.

“I wish to stress here on the HRAWI’s efforts in spearheading this initiative and diligently following it up with the authorities for over twenty years, and which has finally borne fruit. Of course, if it weren’t for the like-minded officers in authority who did action on this, the Single Window System may not have seen light of the day. We are as much appreciative of their co-operation and support,” he adds.

Of the several points listed out in the circular, weightage has been placed on ensuring that the licencing process be simple, unambiguous, and devoid of duplicity in submission of applications. With the streamlining, businesses will now be able to register online for Shops and Establishment (S&E) through MCGM web portal and its renewal could be done through its mobile app.

“I had once read Benjamin Franklin’s quote- If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than intellect. Since the last two decades I’ve been persuading various authorities, here and at the Federation of Hotel andRestaurant Associations of India (FHRAI), on Single Window Clearance.HRAWI has been fortunate lately, to find and thank the like-minded Commissioners and Secretaries at BMC and Mantralaya, who have made this Single Window a reality today. The new system reduces the licencing process to a fraction of what it has been, with a ‘Combined Business Application’ form, through the designated window,” says Mr Kamlesh Barot, past President, HRAWI.

The MCGM while making the process online will continue to run the physical format of application for licences for the purpose of on-the-spot clarification to stakeholders.“The nineteen licences were clearly understood and recognised as either repetitions or as being outdated. Repetitive licences have now been neatly merged together under a single classification and the outdated ones have been removed to bring the number of licences down to just three. There are a few more recommendations for merging other licences and finer details need to be ironed out. But on the whole this move is a big relief to every hotelier and restaurateur. We are as much grateful to the Civic Body as we are to our members for their patient and relentless efforts in having paved the way for arriving at this
day,” concludes Mr Datwani.

About Hotel & Restaurant Association Western India (HRAWI)

The Hotel and Restaurant Association (Western India) is a 67 years old Association of Hotelsand Restaurants in Western India. Its members include smaller Hotels up to 5-Star Deluxe categories. The bulk of its members like any growth economy are made up of budget hotels. With membership base spread across Western India, HRAWI covers Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa and the Union Territories of Daman, Diu & Silvassa, and is considered to be the voice of the Hotel Industry. The association is part of the national body of Federation of the Hotels & Restaurants Associations of India (FHRAI), located in New Delhi, which was originally founded in Mumbai in 1950 by the late Mr J.R.D. Tata.

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