Now shops and commercial establishments will be open 24/7 in Telangana

Hyderabad: In a boon for the commercial shops in the State, the Telangana government has a government order amending the Telangana Shops and Establishment Act 1988. It also issued guidelines and conditions for commercial establishments and businesses to function 24/7.

The GO stated that the government of Telangana is granting exemption from Section 7 of the Telangana Shops Establishment Act 1988, which deals with opening and closing hours, subject to certain conditions.

The conditions include the issuance of ID cards, provision of weekly offs, adherence to weekly working hours, payment of overtime wages, and provision of compensatory holidays with wages to employees attending duty on notified national/festival holidays.

Similarly, there must be adequate safety measures in place for women employees, and their consent must be obtained for working night shifts. Transport to and from the workplace must also be provided for women employees working night shifts.

The management of these establishments must maintain records and furnish returns as prescribed by the state government within the given time frame. Compliance with provisions under police act and rules in force is also mandatory.

As per the notification, an annual fee of Rs 10,000 must be paid for each store to open 24×7 under the act.