Markets to remain open whole night in Bihar

Patna, July 13 (UNI) Bihar Shops and Business Establishment Amendment bill, 2007 was today passed in the state assembly.

The bill incorporates a number of new provisions, including permission to interested owners to keep their establishments open throughout the night.

While tabling the bill, Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who is also incharge of the state labour resources department, said the state government had now decided to do away with the practice of annual renewal of the registrations of the shops and the related establishments.

Earlier, provision of annual renewal of the business centres used to create a lot of hurdle and harassment for the businessmen, affecting their businees, he added.

The new provision of keeping the shops and other related establishments open for the whole night indicated the overall improvement in law and order situation in the state.

''During the Lalu-Rabri regime such kinds of initiatives were beyond 'imagination', as the law and order situation was 'the worst' and common people, including the business fraternity were feeling unsafe,'' he recalled.

''The weekly closure of the business centres would no more remain mandatory, as those interested would be free to keep their establishments open seven days a week,'' Mr Modi said, adding steps had been taken to protect the interests of the workers.

UNI