The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday withdrew its order that all malls, shops, IT/BPO firms and other commercial establishments in the national capital region (NCR) would be shut at 7 pm daily for the next 15 days due to inadequate power supply in the state.
The government withdrew its Sunday order after drawing flak from the business community and residents in Noida and Ghaziabad. “We are happy that the government realised its mistake soon and withdrew the order. Closing malls and other business establishments is not the right way to deal with power crisis, which plagues the entire state,” said Kedar Bansal, president of Sector 18 traders association.
The entire business fraternity was disappointed with the order as people usually go or shopping after 7pm — the time by which the government had ordered to down the shutters.
“It (withdrawal) is a welcome move. We appreciate that the government has realised it without wasting much time, otherwise we would have incurred huge losses,” said Vikas Tyagi, general manager, Shopprix Mall, Sector 61.
Industrialists in Noida had already been facing a tough time due to the erratic power supply. The Sunday diktat had come as a shocker to them.
{{/usCountry}}Industrialists in Noida had already been facing a tough time due to the erratic power supply. The Sunday diktat had come as a shocker to them.
{{/usCountry}}Residents are also happy with the decision. “It is impossible to shop during the day time in summers. Most of the shoppers are office-goers, which is why they prefer to shop in the evening. Had the order been implemented, we would hardly get time to enjoy outside,” said Suneeta Iyer of Sector 17.