Mumbai, April 5: The delegation of the Shopkeepers Welfare Association or the SWA met the Mumbai mayor, Ms Shubha Raul on Thursday and demanded permission for small shops to remain open till 10 pm. At present, these shops in the city are allowed to be open till 8.30 pm as mentioned under the Shopkeepers and Establishment Act. Due to this, the shopkeepers are finding themselves at a disadvantage to the malls, which are open till 11 pm. They are, therefore, losing out on business due to early closure of their shops.

The SWA said that the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or the BMC fines the shopkeepers, who keep their shops open after 8.30 pm, Rs 5,000 under the Shops and Establishment Act.

According to the BMC, the name board outside the shop which is lit by a bulb of over 20 watts, is considered as an advertisement. The BMC had informed the shopkeepers that such boards must get a license costing Rs 3,000 per year according to Section 328. Failure on the part of the shopkeepers to get licences would cause legal problems.

The SWA claims that there are around 2 lakh small and medium size shopkeepers in the city. Since, the shops close by the time people return from work, there is no other option but to go to the malls, which is not affordable for all.

The president of the SWA, Mr Yogesh Katira said, "We had met the former municipal commissioner, Mr Karun Shrivastava and he had assured us that changes in the provisions of the Shops and Establishment Act would be made, but so far no modifications have been made."

Mr Katira said that Ms Raul has assured them that she will look into the matter soon and arrive at a solution.