The officials of courier and parcel industry in the city are demanding that the state government should give them permission to resume their business operations and provide financial assistance to them as they have been hit hard by the lockdown which is in place to curb the spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus which causes the Covid-19 (coronavirus) infection.
There are currently at least 800 big and small courier firms in the city which have been shut since the lockdown was announced on March 25. Most of the courier firms are situated in the central part of the city which are containment zones.
Mohammad Ali Shaikh, a proprietor of Fly Wings Courier Service in Camp, said, “We have delivery boys who work on daily wages basis and with 45 days of lockdown it is becoming difficult for cash collection and picking up parcels from main offices, all of which are located in central parts of the city.”
“If the lockdown continues, we will suffer losses and many people will lose jobs,” he said.
Several courier firms with whom HT contacted expressed apprehensions that the industry can start only after transport and business sectors start functioning normally.
Sanjay Sharma, a courier firm manager of an international courier company at NIBM road, said, “All the air services and railway services are shut down which has made transport of goods and parcels a cumbersome task.”
{{/usCountry}}Sanjay Sharma, a courier firm manager of an international courier company at NIBM road, said, “All the air services and railway services are shut down which has made transport of goods and parcels a cumbersome task.”
{{/usCountry}}An administrative official on condition of anonymity said, “The decision on resuming courier services can be taken only after a notification is issued by the central government.”