Confusion persists over business timings

Major markets stopped from opening on Fridays

LAHORE: Confusion prevailed in the public, business community and partly within the government itself, throughout the day over business timing and three-day restriction on shops, as no notification of the “decision”, as reported by many media houses, was issued by the department concerned, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The decision of the government was twice reported in the media first on Wednesday when a statement attributed to the provincial minister was run by the media claiming that government has reduced timing of the businesses to 5:00pm from 7:00 pm. Later, the second round of reports came after coronavirus related meeting on Thursday, after which it was reported with certainty that business timings have been reduced till 5:00pm from 7:00pm and the business would be only allowed on four days a week, from Monday till Thursday, which prompted many traders association to openly condemn this decision.

From the day markets opened, after Eid since Wednesday, the word was that shops were only allowed to work till 5:00pm. In many areas, even police reminded traders of the 5 o’clock timing restriction.

On such trader Naveed Ahmad, from the biggest electronic market of Punjab, Abid Market said that they were told by police that business timings were between 9:00am to 5:00pm, as he said it was before Eid.

However, by Thursday, when given media reporting, it became almost certain that markets would be closed by 5:00pm and would not be allowed to operate throughout the weekend.

Given the speculations, police stopped many major markets of Lahore from opening on Friday, including Abid Market, Shahlam Market and Azam Cloth market as confirmed by many of their traders.

During the entire time, the department of Primary and Secondary Health Care maintained that no such decision has been taken and similarly till no such decision is taken no such notification would be issued. The department officials, however, expressed their surprise over the above-mentioned reports.

Many government functionaries maintained that the last notification which stated shops would operate between 9:00am to 5:00pm and for four days a week has prevailed and that there was no need of any new notification without knowing that just before Eid another notification had been issued on May 21 stating that post-May 24, shops would be allowed to operate till 7:00pm superseding the previous notification.

When these government functionaries were reminded of said notification, due to Eid holidays they could not follow the development.

A Lahore division officer, on condition of anonymity, went on to say that he does not know who was running the show, the CM, the federal government or someone else.

The Directorate General Public Relation, seemingly, made no attempts to clear the confusion on the subject. Chief Secretary Media Office also remained clueless of this development.

Minister Information Fayyazul Hasan Chohan told The Express Tribune that shops were open till 9:00am to 5:00pm and there was no confusion but when remained him that the last notification permitted shops to operate till 7:00pm for seven days a week he said that it was best to contact, other ministers since he was in his constituency.

Another provincial minister said that he received over a hundred calls of people trying to confirm the actual timing of shops but he too was unaware. He said the information department should have clarified the situation, rather than leaving the public on the mercy of local administration.

Interestingly, Provincial Minister Mian Mehmoodur Rashid later in the day, said that they have permitted the shops to open till 7:00pm which too was incorrect, as the permission was granted via a notification on 21 and there was no need of any new notification to be issued.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2020.