VIJAYAWADA:The AP Chambers of Commerce and Industry Federation (APCCIF) has requested the state government to allow the shops to remain open for 365 days a year, that is, to let the commercial establishments function even on weekends and holidays, which is not the case now.
In a letter to labour and employment minister K Atchannaidu, APCCIF executive director P Bhaskar Rao said that the government, which has created a positive policy governance, unveiling proactive and positive policies of different sectors with emphasis on ‘ease of doing business’, single desk clearance and other needed incentives for industrial sectors, should also consider the request of various retailers associations of AP for allowing shops and establishments in the state to remain open all 365 days of a year.
The Shops and Establishments Act stipulates that shops and establishments be shut for one day in a week in order to ensure that their employees get a day off. The existing law also stipulates closure of all shops on Sundays, except essential services like chemists and hospitals. Besides the weekly off, they had to take special permission from the labour department if they wanted to open during festival occasions.
Citing Maharashtra government, which is allowing the shops to be opened all days in a year that helped traders to boost their business, Rao wanted the AP government to take similar decision. Even the Telangana government had issued a notification recently exempting retail establishments in the state form weekly closure, he pointed out.
Exemption from weekly closure will not only be beneficial for retailers, but also generate more revenues for the state.