Maharashtra Assembly Clears Bill That Allows Shops, Restaurants To Operate 24x7

The Maharashtra Assembly on Thursday cleared a Bill that allows shops, malls, bars, restaurants and places of entertainment to operate round the clock on all days.

The Bill to amend the Maharashtra Shops and Establishment Act is aimed at providing ease of business and giving establishments a fair chance to compete with e-commerce portals, said Ashish Shelar, Bharatiya Janata Party's Mumbai unit president.

Maharashtra has about 38 lakh establishments. Once in force, the Act is likely to particularly benefit eateries, bars and pubs.

The Bill still needs to be cleared by the Legislative Council. Once cleared, it will require the governor's assent. The state's Bill is based on the Model Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Bill, 2016 cleared by the Union Cabinet last year. Besides allowing establishments to choose their working hours, it also suggests measures for employee welfare.

Under the proposed law in Maharashtra, shops with fewer than 10 workers will not be required to be registered with the government. They will need to inform a state-appointed facilitator with self-certified documents.

Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, a strong votary of nightlife in Mumbai, in a series of tweets said the Act will boost business, employment, revenue and taxes in the city.

Mall owners welcomed the decision, but were not sure if the move will help their business.

“This was proposed a long ago, to get this executed will take some time. Most of our stores are in malls and keeping malls open 24x7 will be an issue. This will definitely help grocery and medical stores. We will have to rethink and may remodel some of the stores depending on how the customer responds,” said Govind Shrikhande, managing director of Shoppers Stop.

This could be a very big opportunity for food and beverages, said Rajneesh Mahajan, chief executive officer of Inorbit Mall.