Lohri a sombre affair in Chandigarh; traders record dismal sales

Lohri remained a sombre affair in Chandigarh and markets wore a deserted look as residents chose to stay indoors amid the record surge in Covid cases

Lohri remained a sombre affair in the city and markets wore a deserted look as residents chose to stay indoors amid the record surge in Covid cases. Traders dealing in items like dry fruit and jaggery said this resulted in sales taking a massive hit.

Residents purchasing Lohri fare at the Sector 20 market in Chandigarh. Dry fruit sellers in Sector 26 say their business has been badly hit this year. (Keshav SIngh/HT)

Even vendors who had started setting up stalls outside markets from Tuesday, said they barely made any sales. Arif, who had set up a stall to sell wood in front of the Sector 46 market, said, “I come here every year, but this time, my sales have been almost negligible. The footfall in the markets has also been less.”

Opposite the Sector 29 Mandi ground, Ayub who had set up a stall to sell gachak and rewari added, “I had opened up on Tuesday itself, but the response was poor.”

Wholesalers of dry fruits in the city were also affected adversely. Many of them are based in the grain market in Sector 26, where entry of the general public has been banned by the administration . President of the Sector 26 Grain Market Association, Ram Karan Gupta, said, “Wholesalers have recorded zero sale of dry fruits this year. We understand that restrictions are needed to keep Covid in check, but the grain market shouldn’t be clubbed with the Sector 26 mandi, where a large number of vendors continue to flout social distancing and mask rules.”