Delhi LG okays proposal to allow 83 more establishments to operate round the clock

New Delhi: Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved the Delhi government's proposal to allow 83 more commercial establishments here to operate round the clock, Raj Niwas officials said on Friday.

This is the fourth such proposal to be cleared by Saxena since October 2022 when 314 establishments were granted exemptions to operate on a 24x7 basis, followed by 55 in April and 155 in June, they added.

"With the fresh 83 approvals, there will now be 607 such shops and establishments situated at various locations in the national capital that will give impetus to economic activities," an official said.

Saxena has granted the exemption under sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954, which enables commercial establishments to operate on a 24X7 basis.

Some of the shops and establishments that figured in the list are readymade garments and accessories retailer Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited, Amazon Transportation Services, the logistical arm of the e-commerce giant, Godfrey Phillips India Ltd, which is engaged in retail trade businesses like departmental and convenience stores, Nykaa Fashion Pvt Ltd and sweets shop chain Bikanerwala International.

Saxena appreciated the chief minister and the labour department over the applications being cleared expeditiously, the official said.

According to him, the LG underlined that low disposals may often point towards callousness, carelessness and extraneous considerations being at play while deciding on proposals where departmental discretion is involved.

"The LG said there is a need to mitigate any such consideration in the interest of transparent governance and all measures suggested earlier like developing a ‘Single Window System’ as an integral portal for approving be followed strictly," the official said.

Saxena also directed the labour department to submit within 15 days the reasons why applications that were rejected during the last year were disposed of and what has come out of them in case of re-application.

He stressed that it will also be in the interest of a conducive and investor-friendly business environment and resultant economic growth of the city, apart from providing entrepreneurship.

The LG also directed the department to consider setting up a facilitation or enabling mechanism for applicants.

The exemptions under sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act are given to establishments engaged in providing essential services. These sectors include e-commerce, grocery stores, hospitality, airport services, cargo services, cold storage and warehouses, security services and other similar services.