The Bill that allows shops to remain open round the clock has received a mixed response from the trading community. The Gujarat Shops and Establishment Act (Amendment) Bill, 2019 was passed on Friday.
A section of representatives of the trading community said that the Bill will help them garner more business. But another section said that the move will benefit malls more than the shopkeepers as the latter do not have the bandwidth to remain open round the clock. They said that keeping shops open till late night will increase the challenges for law enforcing agencies.
Harshad Giletwala, president of Amdavad Vepari Mahajan, said that it will enable villagers from around the city to come to Ahmedabad for shopping. "Now, by the time they dine and are able to come to shop in Ahmedabad, the markets are closed. However, with the new provision, they will be able to come late. High-value shopping is cheaper in megacities than in talukas," he said.
However, a segment of the trading community said the move is aimed at benefiting the organised retail. Individual shopkeepers, he said, do not have the bandwidth to derive its benefit. "The move is targeted to benefit the organised sector and not the neighbourhood shops. It is malls that need and can afford to remain open round the clock. This was their demand. Shopkeepers do not have the bandwidth to operate round the clock. In fact, we were harassed by the authorities in the smallest of matters," said Pratap Chandan, chairman, Edible Oil Federation.
Rakesh Patel, director, Wide Angle multiplex, welcomed the move but said that the authorities need to maintain law and order. "It is good for customers but it will increase the load on the police. Operating multiplexes at night is not viable. These have centralised airconditioning. So the overheads are high. We cannot operate them for a handful of viewers. We also need to be careful that customers who come late night, do not create a nuisance," he said.
Players also pointed to the fact that the culture in Ahmedabad and other cities in Gujarat is much different from other cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi, Pune, and others, where multinational corporates have their offices running round-the-clock. "As other cities have MNCs, there is a culture of nightlife there and there is a need that shops and other establishments remain open round the clock. Such MNCs are very few in Ahmedabad. So whether there will be enough buyers is also a question. For it to be a profit-making proposition, the overheads should be lower than earnings," said a partner of one of the leading eateries in the city.
Shopping All Night
- A section of representatives of the trading community said that the Bill will help them garner more business
- But another section said that the move will benefit malls more than the shopkeepers as the latter do not have the bandwidth to remain open round-the-clock
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