Although summer is the peak season for ready-made garment traders, the lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has forced them to keep their shops shut since March 23, leaving them with no source of revenue.
Arvinder Singh Makkar, who owns a wholesale ready-made garment shop in Akal market of Chaura Bazaar in Ludhiana shared that though he has already started receiving orders from shopkeepers in small towns, he has been unable to dispatch the goods to revive the income cycle.
“Most of the wholesale shopkeepers already have summer clothes stocked in their shops or godowns that they have not been able to sell due to the lockdown. This is a major concern for us,” said Makkar, who is also the president of Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal.
He said that a delegation from the association recently requested the district administration to allow them to open shops while putting safety measures in place. “Now everyone is aware of coronavirus and concerned about their safety. We are only requesting the administration to support us in opening our businesses gradually as now we need to live with this virus,” he added.
Makkar said the unorganised sectors were hit hard by the curfew and that the government should come to their aid. “The unorganised sector is facing a huge financial crisis. The government should provide businesses with tax benefits and waive off electricity bills,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Makkar said the unorganised sectors were hit hard by the curfew and that the government should come to their aid. “The unorganised sector is facing a huge financial crisis. The government should provide businesses with tax benefits and waive off electricity bills,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Amid the lockdown, with his business operation remains shut, Makkar, a resident of Vishal Nagar, has been spending time at home playing online games with his two sons based in United States and Gurugram. “To boost my immunity, I have been doing yoga every day and eating healthy. I’m not so fond of watching television so I spend my day talking to my friends on the phone and playing ludo with my sons online,” he said.
Makkar, who will be turning 60 on May 17, said his only wish is that humanity succeeds in winning the war against Covid-19 and the situation normalises soon so that people can earn for their loved ones’ survival.