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Power discipline favours malls: Shopkeepers
CITY TRADERS expressed displeasure over ?discriminatory? order issued by the State Government regarding shop opening and closing timings. They are planning to call on the labour commissioner on the issue. It may be recalled that the commissioner conveyed the State Government order to shops, markets and business establishments on Thursday. The order states that shops should open before 9 am and close down before 8 pm. The order also says that they should not open shops on weekly offs and holidays.
CITY TRADERS expressed displeasure over ‘discriminatory’ order issued by the State Government regarding shop opening and closing timings.
They are planning to call on the labour commissioner on the issue. It may be recalled that the commissioner conveyed the State Government order to shops, markets and business establishments on Thursday. The order states that shops should open before 9 am and close down before 8 pm. The order also says that they should not open shops on weekly offs and holidays.
Just about four months ago, after a lot of meetings with the traders, the State Government made an announcement that all the shopkeepers or business establishment owners who wanted to keep their businesses operating till 11 am are allowed to do so.
They were also allowed to do away with the weekly closure.
“It was an uneven playing field as the malls remain open till 11 am and on all 365 days. We managed to drive the point home that it puts the conventional shops and markets at a disadvantage compared to the malls. So the State Government made it uniform for both. Some establishments had already started shifting to the new timings in a phased manner. And now there is a new order,” says Chander Prakash of Universal Booksellers.
“The government says that the order has been issued keeping in mind the grim power supply situation. But, why should it be discriminatory?” says M Tandon, a shopkeeper at Bhootnath Market.
“We completely agree and are ready to abide by the order to help State tide over power crisis. But, malls have been exempted from it. The rest are free from it.
It’s only the traditional shopkeepers and markets that are under it. This once again puts conventional shops and markets at a disadvantage compared to the malls,” adds Chander Prakash.
Mr Krishanchand Bhambhwani, senior vice president of Lucknow Vyapar Mandal and also the President of Hazratganj Traders’ Association said a delegation of traders would meet Labour Commissioner to discuss the issue. “The check should be on the wastage of power which is happening everywhere, instead of use of power,” he says.
