Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Monday that the aim behind the police being relieved of the responsibility of issuing licences to businesses is to ensure that establishments are granted licences easily, within a reduced time frame, and at a lesser cost. It will also give the police more time to focus on their core duties, such as crime control, maintenance of law and order, and public security, she added.L-G V K Saxena, in an order dated June 19 – circulated on Sunday – had withdrawn the Delhi Police’s power to sanction a no-objection certificate (NOC) to seven types of business establishments, in line with the Centre’s vision of ‘Ease of Doing Business’.Instead, the power to issue such licences will now lie with local bodies like the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), or the Delhi Cantonment Board. The Delhi Police’s Licensing Branch will now only deal with the grant or sanction of arms licences and licences for explosives, the order stated.The seven types of establishments are swimming pools, restaurants, motels and hotels, discotheques, video gameparlours, amusement parks, and auditoriums.“Several delegations met us, following which we raised this issue with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. They approved our proposal,” Gupta told mediapersons.She maintained that this move will benefit around 25,000 establishments and around 1.5 to 2 million workers directly employed in these sectors, along with indirect businesses and vendors.Maintaining that this is a “historic day” for Delhi, Gupta said, “With this major reform, police will now be able to dedicate their energy and resources to actual policing.”Story continues below this adShe further said that simplifying the licensing process and supporting both residents and entrepreneurs is a top priority of Delhi’s “double-engine government”. “Double licensing used to create confusion about who would do what. With this reform, we are bringing in a single-window system to ensure transparency and efficiency. This is the benefit of a double-engine government,” Gupta added.Anurag Katriar, trustee of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), said, “There used to be only two cities in India, Delhi and Kolkata, where restaurant-owners had to get NOC from the police, which is an archaic provision… This is a positive step to make things more transparent.”Sandeep Anand Goyal, Delhi chapter head of NRAI, added, “We met the CM on May 13 and told her about the problems facing the restaurant industry. Because of the delay in police NOC, many operators were not able to get excise license. This move will lead to more investments and from Europe and the US…”Mayor Raja Iqbal Chahal told mediapersons that the estimated window for granting such licences will be 60 days.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd