The decision of the Cabinet approving a model act for the States to consider for adoption facilitating shops and establishments including banks to operate on a 24/7 basis has not gone down well with traders.
The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which has been in the forefront of the campaign seeking a level playing field for the retailers after the advent of e-commerce, while flagging several concerns on the subject, has suggested that it should be undertaken on a pilot basis for evaluation.
CAIT national president B.C.Bhartia and Praveen Khandelwal maintained that allowing shops and establishments freedom to operate on a 24/7 basis would have a detrimental impact on the traders. Their case is that it would have repercussions on law & order, environment, health, social and family issues.
Under the existing model, traders could not afford to arrange different shifts of the labour. They said that it would impact the “family and social life’’ of workers as well as traders.
“We are fortunate to have days and night in equal ration and do have different seasons whereas in Western Countries, the sun lights or darkness prevails for months together. They don’t have natural days and nights and therefore they are forced to keep shops open round the clock”, they said.
