Assam: Central Silchar Traders Retailers Association urge labour office to lift Sunday closure

A correspondent

Silchar: The decision issued by the Assistant Labour Commissioner to keep all the shops in Silchar town closed on Sunday has hit the business community adversely. The Central Silchar Traders Retailers Association on Tuesday requested the assistant Labour commissioner to allow them to keep all the shops open on a daily basis. 

The notification issued on November 2 mandated strict adherence to Section 11 of the Assam Shops and Establishments Act, 1971, which required all commercial establishments to remain completely closed every Sunday. This directive aims to enforce the weekly closure rule as per legal provisions. The notice warned that failure to comply would invite stringent action under the law.

However, the announcement also clarified that establishments exempted under the law were not subject to this order. Shop owners were advised to review the legal exemptions to determine their applicability.

On November 17, the traders in a meeting decided to approach the Labour commissioner to review the decision. Accordingly, the Association on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Assistant Labour Commissioner. Emphasizing that since the Covid pandemic, the small and medium retail businesses had been facing acute hardship. The 2022 deluge had further divested their business. And further, the online shopping platforms and the corporate shopping mall had made the small and medium retail business more challenging. The traders further saidthey had stocked huge quantity of materials for the festive season to be followed by the winter. Since the consumers of both the city area and suburbs usually preferred shopping on the holiday, the closure on Sunday would hamper their weekly planning too, and the business would be badly impacted. The traders further reminded that most of the small shops were run by the family members, and the salaried staff were given a weekly off on a rotation basis.

For further clarification, shop owners can contact the Office of the Assistant Labour Commissioner.

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