The Telangana government has issued an order allowing all shops and establishments, including restaurants and malls, to be open round the clock. The order was issued by the Department of Labour Employment Training and Factories on April 4.
The order copy stated, “The government after careful examination of the matter hereby decides to issue guidelines for granting exemption from section 7 (opening and closing hours) of the Telangana Shops and Establishments Act, 1988 to all Shops & Establishments as defined as defined in Section 2 (21) of the Telangana Shops & Establishments Act, 1988, for operating 24/7 in the Telangana State subject to certain conditions.”
The government has imposed certain conditions that have to be met by establishments that choose to be open 24 hours, all days of the week. Some of them include issuing identity cards to employees, providing weekly offs, designating weekly working hours, providing overtime wages, giving compensatory holidays with wages in lieu of employees attending duty on a notified national festival holiday, providing adequate safety for women employees, taking consent for women employees to work in night shifts and to and fro transport for women employees who are working in night shifts.
The management also should maintain records and furnish returns as prescribed by the state government. They also need to comply with the provisions under the Police Act and Rules in force. The shops also need to pay Rs 10,000 as an annual fee.