Mohali traders seek waivers to tide over Covid-19 lockdown

With shops closed and business coming to a halt for the past one month, 3,000-odd big and small traders are a worried lot and have now turned to the government for help

As uncertainty looms large, businessmen in Punjab’s Mohali district are facing the double whammy of rising expenses and loss of business owing to the curfew imposed to check the spread of coronavirus disease.

With shops closed and business coming to a halt for the past one month, 3,000-odd big and small traders are a worried lot and have now turned to the government for help.

“We will have to start from scratch once the curfew is lifted,” says Jagjit Singh who runs an apparels shop in Mohali. “The business will take at least three months to return on track. It is not like as soon as shops open, we will start earning.”

“We have to cater to the need of our employees and their families too and ensure that they do not go without food. It is our moral responsibility in this hour of need,” says Kuldeep Singh, who runs a stationery shop in the city, adding that traders are helping their staff by paying them money as well as providing ration.

“We are not getting any help and our earnings are zero, but still we are paying our employees. The monthly instalments are being deducted and we have to pay the bills as well. The survival will become difficult for traders as well as their employees if the government does not give us some concessions,” says Rajpal Chaudhary, who is into the sport goods business.

To safeguard interests of the business community, the Mohali Beopar Mandal, which has 500 members, has submitted a representation seeking tax waivers.

“We request the government to waive property tax (on rent and individual) for all commercial properties this fiscal besides waiving electricity and water bills for the next three months to help the business community survive this tough period,” says Vineet Verma, president of the body, adding that in Mohali alone Rs 17 crore is collected as property tax from traders.