The Delhi government will soon pass a law to make it easier for house owners to let out rooms under the central government’s ‘bed and breakfast’(B&B) initiative.
The B&B initiative is part of the Union tourism ministry’s attempt to address a shortage of affordable rooms in the city .
The legislation will address standards homeowners must maintain, look at ensuring better safety and ensure that those who let out their homes are charged fair residential rates for utilities and use of property.
It will also help allay concerns that these bed and breakfasts will be charged commercial rates by utilities such as the Delhi Jal Board and power distribution companies.
“We want to provide legislative cover to the tourism ministry’s scheme,”said a Delhi government official.
The Union ministry of tourism is hoping the new initiative will ease a third of the estimated room shortage of 30,000. So far, only 80 people have registered for the programme in Delhi, said the official.
The programme is designed to enroll homeowners with one to five rooms to spare .
To tackle a nationwide shortage of 1.5 lakh hotel rooms, the ministry has encouraged construction of hotels in various parts of the country, and sought alternatives like B&Bs.
