Community members from across Maharashtra say curtailed timing and other anti-COVID curbs have already cost them Rs 24,000 crore, worry about too many people on their premises
Customers queue up at a grain store in the city. Pic/Nimesh Dave
With non-essential services shut for standalone shops and imposition of a time limit for essential services in the state, retailers and traders have claimed that the decision has cost them Rs 24,000 crore. While lockdown measures have been extended for another two weeks, they are hopeful of some amendments coming in their way.
The shop owners say they have limited staff to cater to large crowds that assemble because of curtailed timings and that many customers show up after 9 am. As a result, they have to deal with chaos almost every day, they claim.
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Shop owners protest the restrictions saying they will cripple their business. Pic/Ashish Raje
The community says it has sought waiver of licence fee and property tax apart from subsidies and monetary assistance for their employees.
While there were rumours of some relaxation for the community, the new notification released on Thursday evening simply extended the measures for another 15 days.
Shops with shutters half-open in Borivli. Pic/Satej Shinde
Viren Shah, who heads the Federation of Retailers and Traders Welfare Association, said, “We are expecting some respite this time around as we have been assured by the ministers that relief in the form of licence fee is being worked out by them. We also are hoping there is some relief for the essential service providers to open up in non-containment zones only. We have demanded that some relief be worked out for us as well and whether we are given any or not will be revealed only after notification is out.”
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