General provisions regarding licenses and permissions.

(1) Every license and permission granted under this Act or any rule or bye-law made under this Act shall specify the period, if any, for which, and the restrictions, limitations and conditions subject to which the same is granted and shall be signed by the Sarpanch or by some person duly authorized by him in this behalf. (2) Save as otherwise expressly provided in or may be prescribed under this Act, for every such license or permission, fees may be charged on such units and at such rates as may be fixed by the Gram Panchayat: Provided that a person who is a barber, washer-man, medari or kummara or other village artisan by profession shall not be liable to pay any fees in relation to the license granted to him for the use of any place in the Gram Panchayat for exercising his profession or transacting his business as such. (3) Every order of the authority competent under this Act or any rule or bye-law made thereunder to pass an order refusing, suspending, cancelling or modifying a license or permission shall be in writing and shall state the grounds on which it proceeds: Provided that every application for a license or permission under this Act shall be disposed of within fifteen days from the date of receipt thereof or from the date of receipt of approvals or completion of other formalities prescribed, failing which, it shall be deemed that license or permission is granted. (4) Subject to the special provisions regarding private markets, any license or permission granted under this Act or any rule or bye-law made thereunder, it may at any time, after giving the persons concerned an opportunity of making a representation be suspended or revoked by the Gram Panchayat, if any of the restrictions, limitations or conditions laid down in respect thereof is evaded or infringed by the grantee, or if the grantee is convicted of a breach of any of the provisions of this Act, or of any rule, bye-law or regulation made under it, in any matter to which such license or permission relates or if the grantee has obtained the same by misrepresentation or fraud. (5) It shall be the duty of the Gram Panchayat to inspect places in respect of which a license or permission is required by or under this Act, and he may enter any such place between sunrise and sunset, and also between sunset and sunrise if it is open to the public or any industry is being carried on it at that time; and if he has reason to believe that anything is being done in any place without a license or permission where the same is required by or under this Act, or otherwise than in conformity with the same, he may at any time by day or night without notice enter such place for the purpose of satisfying himself whether any provision of law, rules, bye-laws or regulations, any condition of a license or permission or any lawful direction or prohibition is being contravened; and no claim shall lie against any person for any damage or inconvenience necessarily caused by the exercise of powers under this sub-section by the Gram Panchayat or any person to whom he has lawfully delegated his powers; or by the use of any force necessary for effecting an entrance under this sub-section. (6) When any license or permission is suspended or revoked or when the period for which it was granted, or within which application for renewal should be made has expired, whichever expires later, the grantee shall for all purposes of this Act, or any rule or bye-law made under this Act, be deemed to be without a license or permission, until the order suspending or revoking the license or permission is cancelled or subject to sub-section (11) until the license or permission is renewed as the case may be. (7) The grantee of every license or permission shall, at all reasonable times, while such license or permission remains in force produce the same at the request of the Gram Panchayat. (8) Whenever any person is convicted of an offence in respect of the failure to obtain a license or permission or to make a registration as required by the provisions of this Act or any rule or bye-law made thereunder, the Magistrate shall, in addition to any fine which may be imposed recover summarily and pay over to the Gram Panchayat the amount of the fee chargeable for the license or permission or for registration and may, in his discretion, also recover summarily and pay over to the Gram Panchayat such amount if any as he may fix as the costs of the prosecution. (9) Save as otherwise expressly provided in or may be prescribed under this Act, every application for a license or permission or for registration under this Act or any rule, bye-law or regulation made thereunder or for renewal thereof, shall be made not less than thirty and not more than ninety days before the commencement of the period or such less period as is mentioned in the application. (10) Recovery of the fee under sub-section (8) shall not entitle the person convicted to a license or permission or to registration as aforesaid. (11) The acceptance by or on behalf of a Gram Panchayat of the pre-payment of the fee for a license or permission or for registration shall not entitle the person making such pre-payment to the license or permission or of registration as the case may be but only to refund of the fee in case of refusal of the license or permission or of registration, but an applicant for the renewal of a license or permission or registration, shall, until communication of orders on his application, be entitled to act as if the license or permission or registration had been renewed and save as otherwise specially provided in this Act, if orders on an application for license or permission or for registration are not communicated to the applicant within thirty days or such longer period as may be prescribed in any class of cases after the receipt of the application by the Gram Panchayat, the application shall be deemed to have been allowed for the period, if any, for which it would have been ordinarily allowed and subject to the law, rules, bye-laws and regulations and all conditions ordinarily imposed.