Over 300 businesses in Delhi can soon operate 24X7

From restaurants to online delivery services, over 300 establishments in Delhi will be able to operate round the clock starting next week, with Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena approving a proposal for exemptions under the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act.

Exemptions under sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishment Act, 1954 enable commercial establishments to operate on a 24X7 basis, subject to certain conditions that entail welfare of labour and security, etc., officials said.

The Lt Governor has approved a proposal to exempt 314 applications, some of them pending since 2016. He has directed that a notification to this effect be issued within seven days, they said.

Approving the proposal, Saxena took a ''very serious view'' of the ''inordinate delay, ad hocism, randomness and unjustified discretion'' on the part of the Labour Department in disposing of applications submitted by various establishments for exemption, the officials said.

Out of the total 346 pending applications, 18 were submitted in 2016, 26 in 2017, 83 in 2018, 25 in 2019, four in 2020 and 74 in 2021, according to the officials.

''Starting next week, over 300 establishments ranging from hotels, restaurants, eateries to online delivery services of food, medicines, logistics and other essential commodities, transport and travel services, apart from KPOs and BPOs, will be able to operate their businesses on a 24X7 basis in the national capital,'' an official said.

The decision is expected to boost employment generation and promote a positive and favourable business environment in the city.

''The decision will also provide a fillip to the much-desired nightlife in the city,'' the official said.

These applications were kept pending for ''no reason'' even as two others, one of 2017 and another of 2021, were processed and sent for approval, in a display of ''unexplained discretion'' on the part of the Labour Department. This strongly indicates the prevalence of ''corrupt practices'', the officials claimed.

It showed an ''unprofessional attitude and the lack of due diligence'' on the part of the department, they said, adding that it adopted a ''pick and choose policy'' in processing such applications.

This ''negatively affected'' the confidence of the business community at large, they said.

The officials said the LG also pointed to the fact that it took repeated observations and persuasion from the LG Secretariat to influence the Labour Department to put in place a digital mechanism for receipt of applications.

''The LG has strictly advised that such applications are disposed off within a prescribed timeline so that a conducive investor-friendly business environment and positive confidence could be instilled in the entrepreneurs and the business community of Delhi at large,'' they said.

He also directed the Labour Department to ensure that delays do not occur in future, a mechanism is developed for transparent and effective monitoring and reasons for pendency be ascertained.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)