Set up 'single-window' for approval of 24X7 commercial operations application: Delhi LG

The approval to allow 155 establishments to function 24X7 again led to a ''credit war'' between the Delhi LG office and the AAP government on Tuesday.

In a statement, Raj Niwas officials said LG V K Saxena approved a file proposing exemptions to 155 establishments and made the observations to the Labour Department.

He also directed the Delhi government to develop a ''single-window system'' for approving applications regarding round-the-clock operations of shops and commercial establishments in the city, the Raj Niwas officials said on Tuesday.

The Delhi government, in a statement, accused him of ''stealing credit for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's initiatives'' and said the file to grant exemptions to 155 establishments was sent to the LG as a ''mere constitutional procedure''.

According to the officials, the single-window system will simplify procedures related to registration, amendment and exemption of establishments by bringing various approvals on one platform.

It will help reduce the time taken for getting the approval and make the process smoother for applicants, they said.

Saxena directed the Labour Department to expeditiously develop the system as an integrated portal for approving applications related to shops and business establishments proposing to operate 24x7 across Delhi, they said.

However, the Labour Department is duty-bound to observe strict adherence to the stipulated timelines for the disposal of pending as well as fresh applications, according to a note by the department.

The efforts also aim at providing a fillip to the much desired ''nightlife'' in the national capital, the official said while stressing the need for making the targeted segment of entrepreneurs and business establishments aware of the guidelines and standard procedure to apply for exemptions under the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954.

The exemptions under Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Act are given to establishments engaged in providing essential services to the people.

These sectors include E-commerce, grocery stores, hospitality, airport services, cargo services, cold storage and warehouses, security services and other similar services.

The LG also asked the department for developing a feedback module to identify hitches in the whole process and provide resolution to the same on a real-time basis.

Issuing a statement, the government called it ''shameful'' that the LG ''continues to steal credit for Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's initiatives''.

''It is public knowledge that the CM had approved exemptions under Sections 14, 15 and 16 of the Delhi Shops and Establishments Act, 1954 for 155 commercial establishments on June 6. Along with this, it was decided to implement a single window system to ease the administrative process related to it on CM's directions,'' it read.

The file was sent to the LG as a mere ''constitutional procedure, which he has now processed after several days''.

''It is unbecoming of a constitutional post-holder like the LG to engage in such cheap optics for his publicity and steal credit for the government's ongoing efforts. It is pertinent to note that Labour is a transferred subject, under the purview of the elected government of Delhi and not under the LG. The LG is a mere rubber stamp when it comes to transferred subjects and holds no real power to opine on such subjects,'' it read.

The government accused the LG of ''openly flouting the provisions and guidelines of the Constitution and the Supreme Court''.

''In the past, even regarding the cleaning of Yamuna, the LG has tried to steal credit for the steps taken by the government,'' the statement said.