Lieutenant-Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena approved a proposal allowing 314 establishments, including hotels, restaurants, online delivery services, KPOs, and BPOs, to operate 24 x 7 in the Capital.
The L-G has directed that this notification be issued within a week. Mr. Saxena’s decision comes at a time when both the Delhi government and the Delhi Development Authority’s Master Plan-2041 have called for the city’s nightlife to be improved.
Some proposals seeking permission to operate round-the-clock had been pending with the Labour Department since 2016, said an official. “The L-G flagged the issues of inordinate delay, ad-hocism and unjustified discretion on part of the Labour Department in disposing of these applications,” the official added.
Commercial establishments to operate 24 x 7
According to a Raj Niwas official, the decision, which provides exemption under Sections 14, 15 & 16 of the Delhi Shops & Establishment Act, 1954, is expected to boost employment generation and promote a favourable business environment, which are prerequisites for economic growth.
These exemptions allow commercial establishments to operate 24 x 7, subject to certain conditions that ensure the welfare and security of the employees.
The Raj Niwas official added that out of a total of 346 pending applications, most of the pending applications — 83 — were from 2018. “These applications were kept pending for no reason. Just two applications — one from 2017 and another from 2021 — were processed,” the official also said.
“This shows a complete unprofessional attitude and lack of due diligence on the part of the Labour Department,” the L-G noted while approving the proposals, adding that it amounted to the Department “having adopted a ‘pick and choose policy’ in processing such applications.”
Mr. Saxena also observed that “such a system may also lead to corrupt practices. Inordinately delayed processing of such routine applications also negatively affects the confidence/sentiments of the business community at large.”
The Labor Department has been directed by the L-G to develop a mechanism for transparent and effective monitoring of such proposals. He stated that the reasons for the delay in processing such applications should be determined and responsibility assigned so that appropriate action can be taken against the wrongdoing officials.
He also stated that it took repeated observations and persuasion from the L-G Secretariat for the Labour Department to implement a digital mechanism for application receipt. This, according to the L-G, demonstrated the Department’s reluctance to implement simple technological interventions that improved the regulatory framework for ‘Ease of Doing Business.’
