Those wanting to start eateries, bar/ liquor shops (permit rooms), lodging rooms or hold live concerts or construct swimming pools in public places can breathe easy now.

Hereon, they will not be required to get a police clearance.

Home department sources confirmed that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered the implementation of this rule with immediate effect.

Henceforth, for opening an eatery, the entrepreneur will only have to seek permission from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the food and drugs department. For swimming pools also, only BMC nod is required.

Similarly, for a liquor shop, the only authority to be approached for would be the excise department.

The department, however, will take a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the police. In case of concerts, the organisers need to seek the permission of only the land-owning authority where the concert is held.

"The idea is to simplify procedures, better ease of doing business and do away with duplication of approvals. It's a major decision which will help entrepreneurs and the common man in a big way," principal secretary (home), Vijay Satbir Singh, told dna.

Sources claimed that hundreds of complaints against the police department on non-issuance of NOCs on time and seeking money for licences have been pending with the home department.

Adarsh Shetty, president of AHAR (Association of Hotels and Restaurant), welcomed the move: "It's a very bold move that will ease doing business in a big way. We have been following it up for over 10 years. All chief ministers agreed with us in principle but no one had the guts to move forward," he said.

Flooded with complaints, in December 2014, then Mumbai police chief Rakesh Maria had ordered the hotel branch of the city police not to turn down requests for licences on frivolous grounds, like not having independent parking place.

"The are a number of complaints from AHAR and individual hotel owners that their requests are being turned down by the hotel branch. Even if some establishments are planned in malls, the police would reject licence on grounds of not having independent parking place for customers," said a senior police officer.

Such rejections are unreasonable as the BMC approves malls after considering all aspects of the BMC Act and Development Control Rules, which includes parking facility assessment.

The decision was taken in the backdrop of the chief minister's ease-of-doing business initiative, wherein every department was asked to do its bit for making the initiative successful.

It will cut down corruption and harassment as the role of multiple authorities will be eliminated.

Sources said that there was resistance from the police department against the new rule, citing law and order issues.