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Ludhiana: Shopkeepers a harried lot as Shahpur road declared micro- containment zone ahead of Raksha Bandhan
Shop owners said they are contemplating installation of temporary vends at Field Ganj to sell off rakhis, other items
At a time when the market is witnessing a slowdown amid surging Covid-19 cases, Shahpur road being declared a micro containment zone on Friday has added to woes of shopkeepers as their establishments have been shut down ahead of Raksha Bandhan.
Councillor Rakesh Prashar, a resident of Shahpur road, tested positive for Covid-19 on July 16, following which eight of his relatives also tested positive. The administration and health department then declared the area a micro-containment zone citing rising number of cases.
Shop owners rued that every shopkeeper in the market had stocked rakhis and gift items worth around Rs 1 lakh. Shahpur road is one of the main markets of the old city areas with a large number of shops dealing in rakhis and gift items.
One of the shopkeepers, Paramjeet Singh, said, “The shopkeepers are in trouble as we were already facing losses due to low footfall in the market. The administration should allow shopkeepers to open up at least the day before Raksha Bandhan (August 2). After the lockdown, we were thinking that business would slowly come back on track during raksha bandhan, but the announcement has dashed our hopes.”
”The shopkeepers of Shahpur road are contemplating installation of temporary vends at Field Ganj to sell off the Rakhis. The situation has worsened due to internal tussle between shopkeepers. The health department had earlier declared a small portion of the road a micro- containment zone. But, shopkeepers in that area raised objections on other shops being allowed to open. So, the department declared the entire area a micro-containment zone,” another shop owner said.
Ludhiana civil surgeon Dr Rajesh Bagga said,”It is a collective decision taken by the district administration, police and health department. These steps are required to control the spread of the disease. Shopkeepers should cooperate with the department as it is for their own benefit.”