New Delhi, Oct 9 (PTI) Restaurateurs and traders on Sunday welcomed the Delhi LG’s decision to allow more than 300 establishments to function round the clock, but raised concerns about the infrastructure and the security arrangements in place to handle the situation.
Manpreet Singh, treasurer of the National Restaurant Association of India, said their industry had been asking for this for a long time.
“With this coming through, we can only hope that the business will go up. It augurs well for the industry that was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Singh said.
While the move drew positive reactions from almost all quarters, traders voiced concerns about the security aspect in a city like Delhi.
“The Delhi Police is already overburdened. Do they have the additional staff to handle the situation? If restaurants stay open 24×7, there will be a mixed crowd that will be there and we know how some people can behave. There can be brawls and other untoward incidents,” said Anil Bhargav, president of the New Delhi Traders’ Association.
Bhargav welcomed the move but said it might lead to concerns over the security arrangements.
“Many a times it happens that the police personnel deployed here are moved for VVIP arrangements. So we wonder how will this be implemented,” he said.
Sanjiv Mehra, president of the Khan Market Traders’ Association, said before implementing it, the concerns surrounding law and order, infrastructure and transportation should have been addressed.
“There is a shortage of police personnel and the infrastructure is also not in place, plus transportation is also an issue in the national capital,” he said.
A trader, requesting anonymity, said people in Delhi are not “civilised” and there might be a spike in the number of cases of crime in the national capital as a fallout of the decision.
“We see instances of road rage and drunken driving killing people. Don’t you think it could lead to an increase in the number of such cases? Also, shoppers will only visit markets till about 9 pm. There will only be a handful of shoppers beyond the regular hours. In my view, it would lead to an increase in the costs for the shopkeepers for additional staff, additional electricity charges and water charges,” he said.
In a move that will boost Delhi’s night life, Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has approved more than 300 establishments, including online shopping and delivery outlets, hotels, restaurants and transport facilities, to operate round the clock, officials at the LG’s office said on Sunday.
The LG has approved a proposal to exempt 314 applications, some of which have been pending since 2016.
He has directed that a notification to this effect be issued within seven days.
Approving the proposal, Saxena took a “very serious view” of the “inordinate delay, ad-hocism, randomness and unjustified discretion” on the part of the labour department in disposing of applications submitted by the firms for these exemptions, the officials said.
The LG has said such applications should be disposed of within a strict timeline to foster an investor and business-friendly environment in the national capital.
Starting next week, the 300-plus establishments will be able to operate on a 24×7 basis in Delhi, the officials said. PTI SLB RC
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Source: The Print
