Cities Never Sleep States are allowing more shops to run 24×7. They need to back it with better policing, public transport

Source: The post is based on the article “Cities Never Sleep – States are allowing more shops to run 24×7. They need to back it with better policing, public transport” published in The Times of India on 8th June 2023.

Syllabus: GS 3 – changes in industrial policy and their effects on industrial growth.

Relevance: About shops and establishments running round the clock.

News: The Delhi government has recommended that 155 shops and establishments be granted permission to run round the clock. If this proposal is cleared it will take the list of such shops running round the clock to 523. It acknowledges the changing pattern of work in urban India.

About legislation on shops and establishments

Legislation and operating conditions for shops and establishments come under the ambit of state assemblies. Most states have been relaxing restrictions and giving shops more leeway in the way they operate.

What are the challenges in Delhi’s decision to permit shops and establishments to run round the clock?

Shops and establishments in Delhi face bureaucratic interferences when they are working 24×7. For example, the Tamil Nadu government allow blanket permission to all shops and establishments to work round the clock. The only condition is that each employee must be given at least a day off in a week and written consent is needed from women who work through the night.

What should be done to ensure the smooth operation of shops and establishments?

a) India needs far better policing and a public transport ecosystem that also adapts to these changes, b) Permitting shops can play a critical role in encouraging more women to join the workforce or enhance their prospects by opening opportunities beyond their neighbourhood.

So before permitting shops and establishments to run round the clock, states first need to strengthen their most basic function.