Delhi CM announces third-party fire audits soon

Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has announced that Delhi will shortly allow third-party audits for fire licences and ensure the implementation of a single-window licensing system for hotels and restaurants. She made the announcement at the inauguration of Summit 2025 – Viksit Delhi, Viksit Tourism & Hospitality: Together Towards a Viksit Bharat, jointly organised by the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI) and the Hotel and Restaurant Association of Northern India (HRANI).

While addressing industry stakeholders, the CM elaborated that third-party fire audits would significantly ease operational challenges for the hospitality industry, while steps would be initiated to facilitate licences from the MCD, DDA and the Delhi government through a unified single-window mechanism. The decision, she said, was taken during a fire review meeting of the NCT of Delhi, where it emerged that several licensing issues had remained pending under previous governments.

The Chief Minister also spoke on measures to tackle pollution in the national capital, advising hoteliers and restaurant owners to install mist fogging systems on their rooftops to help curb pollution and reduce water consumption. She pointed out that mist fogging has already commenced at select locations in Delhi and will be expanded further.

Assuring continued reforms, she said the government is committed to making Delhi a hub for events and conferences and projecting a positive image of the city so that no visitor to India misses Delhi.

Appreciating the government’s policy initiatives, FHRAI President Surendra Kumar Jaiswal noted that the assurance on third-party fire audits and single-window licensing follows earlier steps such as scrapping the mandatory ‘Eating House License’ and police clearance which marks a significant boost for the hospitality sector.