NEW DELHI: At a time when Delhi eagerly awaits pleasant weather, many eateries and restaurants are trying to create dining areas outdoors and on rooftops.

Around a hundred applications have been received for open air dining licences, the most from Dwarka and other areas in south zone and Aerocity in Najafgarh zone, both of which fall under South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC).

A senior SDMC official said 29 applications had been rejected and the owners had been asked to reapply after meeting the norms. With rising concerns about ventilation during the pandemic, open air dining is expected to get more popular once businesses settle down after the latest lockdown.

Data from SDMC shows that out of 94 licence applications, 39 were from south zone, which has upscale areas like Greater Kailash, Green Park and Hauz Khas, while 31 were from Najafgarh zone with places like Dwarka and Aerocity. Central zone got 15 applications and nine came from west zone from places like Rajouri Garden and Punjabi Bagh.

“While 56 licences have been granted so far, 28 have been rejected. Ten applications are being processed,” the official said. The overall rejection rate is 30%, the highest being in west zone where eight out of nine applications were disapproved. Multiple applications were received from Aerocity, Kapashera, Dwarka, Hauz Khas and Aurobindo Marg.

Last year, after south corporation cleared the open air dining policy, thereby allowing serving food and liquor on rooftops and in open spaces, north corporation also adopted the same policy. The interest shown by restaurants in north Delhi is much weaker. A senior north corporation official said only one restaurant in Rajendra Nagar had been granted a licence. An East Delhi Municipal Corporation official said they had not yet started granting such licences.

The policy states that licences would be granted to restaurants with a health trade licence and where the open space, such as a rooftop, is private property. Further, there should be no encroachments on public land, footpaths or roadsides. No cooking would be allowed in the open area and a liquor licence would be mandatory to serve alcoholic beverages.

Structural safety certificate from a certified engineer and NOC from Delhi Fire Service is also mandatory. The fee for open air dining licence varies from Rs 100-200 per sqm. Before the pandemic, south Delhi had 2,000 big and small eateries. Earlier, TOI had reported that the renewal rate was still low and only around 30% units had renewed their health trade licence.