Delhi Govt bans recorded music at about 900 restaurants
The Delhi government has decided to ban any recorded music at about 900 restaurants across the national capital that serve alcohol. They can only play live bands as per the latest rule.
The decision was taken after residents complained of noise from pubs.
When asked how live music was less noisy than recorded music, Delhi’s excise commissioner Amjad Tak said that live performances are “softer” and “controlled”.
According to the notice, playing recorded music as such places is a violation of the L-17 licence norms under which they operate.
Inspections will take place across the city over the coming weeks, and can even lead to the cancellation of licences in case of any violation.
“Playing of recorded music is a violation of the licensing rules. While permits were issued to these restaurants, it was clearly mentioned, as per the 2010 rules, that they will only be allowed to play live music,” Tak said.
However, the Restaurateurs said the rule would kill Delhi’s nightlife.
“Having some kind of music adds to the ambience of a place, but not everyone can afford having live bands play for them every night. With band performances, we can’t really guarantee the kind of music we are offering to the audience either,” said Saurabh Oberoi, general secretary of the Hauz Khas market association. The National Restaurants Association of India said it will comment on the issue after internal meetings on the subject of the government circular.
-PTC News
