The Delhi government has decided to officially withdraw its Bed and Breakfast (BnB) scheme and review all establishments operating under it, following a massive fire at a hotel in Malviya Nagar area that claimed the lives of 21 people. Tourism Minister Kapil Mishra also said that strict action will be taken against operators who violate the license conditions. This scheme was started during the era of Sheila Dikshit.
After the fire in the capital’s ‘Flourish Stay B&B’, it was announced to withdraw the Bed and Breakfast scheme. In this fire, 21 people including 11 foreign nationals died while many others were injured. Minister Mishra said, “We are going to officially withdraw the ‘Bed and Breakfast’ scheme and all establishments licensed under it will be inspected.
Strict action will be taken against those who break the rules: Kapil
Talking about the strictness of the rules, he said, “Strict action will be taken against hotel operators who violate the license conditions. If any establishment registered under this scheme is found operating more than six rooms, its license will be cancelled.” According to him, ‘Flourish Stay’ was given a license two years ago in 2024 for 6 rooms in the silver category under the B&B scheme, the validity of which was till 2027 next year.
However, after the fire, investigators revealed that the hotel was allegedly operating almost four times more rooms than the sanctioned capacity and did not even have the mandatory No Objection Certificate (NOC). According to police sources, about 25 rooms including the basement were being operated in this hotel.
How many houses are registered in the scheme in Delhi?
Kapil Mishra, while clarifying the role of the Tourism Department, said that the responsibility of this department is largely limited to granting licenses, their renewal and checking the compliance of rules during inspection. It is mandatory for hotel owners to submit guest records to the local police station every 15 days. The tourism department has no role in the day-to-day functioning of these places.
The “Bed and Breakfast” scheme was started in 2007 during the tenure of Sheila Dikshit’s government. From the inception of the scheme till the year 2023, more than 2,200 rooms were registered in 432 properties in the capital. Delhi Government registers those people for this scheme who want to convert their house into “Bed and Breakfast” unit. Its registration is done in just 30 days. Earlier it used to take 90 days for registration.
Reason behind starting BnB scheme
The plan behind starting this scheme was to provide home-like facilities to the people. People get a chance to live with a family in a traditional Indian house. Also, compared to hotels, guests do not have to face insecurity while staying here. Apart from this, you will not have to spend much on accommodation and food. You will get to eat better home cooked food than eating outside.
How much fee was kept under the scheme
However, there is a long process to get the house registered under this scheme and all this happens under the supervision of the government. A team from the tourism department inspects these places. And then after investigation, that place is given registration under either “Gold” or “Silver” category. These categories are determined based on the quality of the accommodation, and the facilities and services provided.
Gold category accommodation must have good parking facilities, telephone, washing machine and dryer, refrigerator and security guards. The size of the rooms is also important. The fee for Gold category is Rs 5,000, while for Silver category the fee is Rs 3,000.
36 conditions before the landlord
The registration certificate is valid for 3 years and there is no provision for its renewal. Every 3 years, the home owner has to reapply and go through the entire process again to obtain a new certificate.
The ‘Bed and Breakfast’ scheme has been amended twice so far. The first amendment was made in the year 2009-10. Then the second amendment took place in the year 2021. In the amendment of 2021, the period taken for the registration process was reduced from 3 months to one month i.e. 30 days. Which came into effect from 2022.
A special condition under the ‘Bed and Breakfast’ scheme is that the owner of the house must also live in the same house, and any person can rent out a maximum of 6 rooms in his house. A home owner cannot rent out more than two-thirds of his bedrooms. Besides, there are many important conditions like there should be a toilet in every room. There should be provision of 24 hours cold and hot water. There should be internet facility. There should be telephone extension in the room. The guest room should have a fridge, 4 hangers for clothes, as well as good quality chairs and tables. In this way, conditions for a total of 36 things have been laid down in it.
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