TN shops to remain open 24x7: Long time demand met, says Vikramaraja

With the State government on Thursday giving its nod for shops to remain open round the clock, stakeholders relying on commercial establishments-especially hotels and roadside eateries-are a happy lot.     

Citing the Government Order (GO) as a bonanza for traders in Madurai, which has over one lakh commercial establishments indulging in various activities, K. Rajapandian, president of the Vanigar Sanga Peravai in the district, told DT Next that the order will not only keep the city awake, but also tend to in-bound travellers and also make them genuinely feel safe, since the city was also known as ‘Temple City’.

Hailing the order, Govindharajan, who works at a roadside eatery near Town Hall in Madurai, said that in the present scenario, he was instructed to wind up his sales at 11 p.m. Dishing up items such as idly, dosa, chapathi and omelet to customers at 8 p.m., with the new regulation in place, he said that he now has plans to run the eatery till 2 a.m.

K. Jean Samuel, a resident here, said that Madurai, which has earned the sobriquet ‘Thoonga Nagaram’(the city that never sleeps) will relive its great times with the new regulation taking effect. By keeping shops open late into the night, it will give a new lease of life to traders. Buying and selling delectable dishes in evening stalls could now stretch through the late hours, much to delight of food enthusiasts, he added.  

AM Vikramaraja, president, Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangam Peramaippu, welcomed the State government’s order allowing shops to remain round the clock and said all traders were delighted by this. While talking to reporters in Thoothukudi on Thursday, he said earlier, traders-under the fold of Peramaippu-launched several protests demanding the government to keep shops open till the late night hours, and that their legitimate demands were met finally. While traders would take it as an opportunity to render service to consumers, the former should also possess a feeling of security at the same time, he said.   

Citing that traders would adhere to the advice of the police on installing CCTV surveillance cameras in shops as the move would deter criminals, he also sought the Department of Police to not impose any further restriction. Vikramaraja was earlier accorded a warm welcome by traders in Thoothukudi on the occasion of his 56th birthday.

The TN Hotels Association has welcomed the government’s move to allow shops and establishments to remain open round the clock. 

The association’s State president, M Venkadasubbu, while talking to DT Next, said, “We have been fighting for years to get the approval of the government to work 24X7 and have submitted numerous petitions to the DGP in this regard. Earlier, the police have been denying permission to us citing law and order issues and forced traders to shut shop by 1 am. So, we moved the High Court to seek legal remedy to our issue.”

Welcoming the order of the State government on Thursday, Venkadasubbu said that the new measure would benefit the public and the floating population as well across the State. 

Further, the government’s decision would also generate part-time employment for several people in hotels, especially students. 

He said the association would withdraw its petition, which was filed earlier in the Madras High Court seeking permission to keep their establishments open round the clock, citing the latest government order.