Noida admin introduces odd-even system for opening shops

The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration Wednesday issued an advisory on opening markets in the different localities and said shops will have to follow an odd-even

The Gautam Budh Nagar district administration Wednesday issued an advisory on opening markets in the different localities and said shops will have to follow an odd-even system for remaining open, similar to the pan adopted in Delhi.

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According to the advisory issued by district magistrate Suhas LY, all shopkeepers will have to follow safety norms, to stop any further spread of the Covid-19.

Additional commissioner of commercial tax (Noida division) Vinay Kumar said according to the guidelines of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) and the state government, all shops in rural and urban areas, except those in containment zones, have been given the permission to operate. “Since maintaining social distancing is a must in a pandemic situation, the shopkeepers of different areas have been asked to follow the odd-even scheme strictly. It will not only reduce crowding in markets, but will also help in maintaining social distancing,” he said.

The odd-even scheme for shops follows the same principle of the road rationing scheme whereby shops with even numbers will open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and odd-numbered ones will open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. This will ensure that on any given day, only half the shops in a market will remain open. Even shops in Delhi are currently following this scheme.

Kumar said it has been made mandatory for all the shopkeepers and staff, to use masks, gloves, hand-wash and sanitisers. “They have also been asked not to entertain any customer who comes to their shops without masks on. None of the shops, except those selling essential commodities, will remain open after 7pm,” he said.

Sushil Kumar Jain, the convener of Delhi-NCR chapter of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), said the shops with even numbers in their addresses will open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. “Similarly, the shops with odd numbers will be opened on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On Sunday, it is mandatory for all shops to carry out thorough sanitisation, and will be closed to customers,” he said.

He said shopkeepers have agreed to follow the new regulations. “Everyone from our fraternity is hopeful that with recommencement of business activities, the markets will be ‘atma nirbhar (self-reliant)’. They have also been asked to give an undertaking in this regard, to the police stations concerned,” Jain said.