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Kejriwal approves 29 shops in Delhi to operate 24x7
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has approved 29 shops and commercial establishments to operate 24x7, which will boost the night time economy of the capital. The files will now be sent to the lieutenant governor for final approval. In the last two years, a total of 552 establishments have been granted approval to operate round-the-clock. The shops and establishments can legally operate 24x7 under certain conditions.
Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday granted approval for 29 shops and commercial establishments in Delhi to operate 24x7, a move that will likely boost the night time economy of the Capital. The files will now be sent to lieutenant governor VK Saxena for a final stamp of approval, the Delhi government said in a statement.
“After examining the applications received, the labour department of the Delhi government made a proposal and placed it before CM. On Thursday, the Delhi CM gave his approval,” the statement said.
Earlier in June, Kejriwal granted approval for 155 shops and establishments to operate round-the-clock. With Thursday’s set of approvals, a total of 552 establishments have been granted approval in the last two years.
The shops and establishments in the Capital can legally operate 24x7 only when they are allowed exemptions under sections 14, 15, and 16 of the Delhi Shops ad Establishment Act, 1954. These exemptions enable commercial establishments to operate on a 24x7 basis, subject to certain conditions.
“The file will be sent to the LG for a decision,” said a Delhi government official.
Saxena, in October last year, approved the largest group of 314 applications for 24x7 operation, directed the departments to speed up the approval process, and flagged that some of these 314 applications were pending since 2016.
The 29 shops and establishments include food shops in Uttam Nagar, Paschim Vihar, Urdu Bazaar, and Jama Masjid while the retail trade category includes FMCG grocery stores in Dwarka, Prashant Vihar, Vikaspuri, Punjabi Bagh, Kotla Mubarakpur, Hauz Khas, and Dwarka Sector 19.
The labour department received had received 35 applications from people interested in running 24x7 businesses. The labour department found 3 applications incomplete and three were duplicate applications. “After examination of the documents the authorities cleared 29 applications and put them up to the CM,” said a labour department official.
