New Delhi: Approximately one hour after a fire ravaged the Hauz Rani bed and breakfast on June 3, its owner, Lovkesh Bajaj, submitted an application for the renewal of a licence for a ground-floor establishment. According to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), the licence had expired on March 31. MCD officials confirmed on Friday that the application was rejected.
The MCD maintains a category of instant licences designated for tea and snack establishments that lack seating. The ground floor of the Hauz Rani B&B, which operated as a restaurant, held only this type of licence, MCD officials stated on Friday. This licence expired on March 31.
Recently, the MCD deregulated the tea and snacks licence category, stipulating that only the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) approval, in the form of a health trade licence, would be necessary to operate such a business.
On Friday, when questioned about the licence status of the Hauz Rani property, an MCD official remarked: “While the tea and snacks licence was issued to Lovkesh Bajaj, a separate licence for operating the B&B facility had been issued by another agency to Jai Mishra. Personal kitchen facilities were provided on each floor.”
While agencies, including the Delhi Police, continue to investigate the exact cause of the fire, the civic body claimed that Bajaj attempted to obtain a fresh health trade licence for the ground floor under the same ‘tea and snacks stall’ category on June 3 — the very day the building caught fire. The applicant submitted the application at 9:35 am on the morning of the incident and also paid the fee. However, the application was rejected by our department.”
This development has raised questions, as the application and fee submission were processed despite the MCD’s announcement that the health trade licence for this category had been deregulated and the portal was being deactivated as part of the transition process.
Sources within the MCD also indicated that the Hauz Rani B&B was inspected by MCD officials approximately eight months ago. The inspection team discovered that a full-scale restaurant was being operated from the premises, violating licence norms that prohibit seating. Despite these findings, no action was taken.
Following the fire incident on Wednesday, the MCD conducted a preliminary survey in the area and identified 12 hotels that allegedly violated health trade licence norms.
An official noted that since these properties are located in Lal Dora areas and were constructed 14–15 years ago, the civic body was treating them as protected under the Centre’s Special Provisions Act, making it difficult to take action against the structures.
However, an official from the building department pointed out that immunity under this provision applies only to residential structures. “In this case, the building was being used for commercial purposes. It exceeded the permissible height of 9 metres and was operating without a fire No Objection Certificate (NOC). Furthermore, the Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) mandates a minimum opening of 1.5 metres by 1.5 metres on every floor, positioned 1.2 metres above the floor and facing the mandatory open space as well as the roadside. These provisions were not complied with,” the official said.
“In this case, the B&B was allegedly being misused as a hotel, with a restaurant operating on the ground floor,” a source added.
