Traders object to keeping markets closed two days a week

Urge govt to find another solution for curbing virus spread, write letter to Sindh CM

KARACHI:

Traders in Karachi have objected to the Sindh government's decision of keeping markets closed two days a week as part of measures taken to curb the spread of the coronavirus during the third wave of the pandemic.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Shariq Vohra and Businessmen Group chairperson Zubair Motiwala maintained that while traders had always supported the government in its efforts to control the spread of the coronavirus and realised the need to take precaution during the third wave of the pandemic, the decision to keep markets closed two days a week was not a good one.

They referred to a letter they had written to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on the matter, underlining the importance of last 10 days of Ramazan for businesses.

If shops are shut two days a week during the said period, traders would face losses all year long, the letter stated.

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The traders have urged the government to find a solution that not just curbed the spread of the virus, but also prevented business losses.

The copies of the letter have been sent to Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, Sindh Chief Secretary Mumtaz Ali Shah and Karachi commissioner Naveed Ahmed Shaikh.

Separately, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad chairperson Hakeem Shah addressed a press conference along with the representatives of different markets, claiming that the notification for keeping markets closed two days a week had been issued without consulting traders.

"This forced closure of trade centres by the local administration will not be tolerated," he warned.

He said if traders were bound to close markets two days a week, they should be allowed to keep businesses open throughout the day during the rest of the week, and added that if they were forced to close markets by 5pm, they would operate businesses all week long.

"We are ready to follow [Covid-19] standard operating procedures, but the government needs to take measures to keep the economy running," he added.

Meanwhile, All Karachi Tajir Ittehad Vice-President Rana Akram issued a statement claiming that traders had not received the notification for the closure of markets yet.

He said the police, though, had been pressuring traders into closing markets early.

The Sindh Home Department issued a notification on Wednesday, directing commercial entities to observe two days in a week as "safe days" during which all business activities, except for essential services, were to remain suspended.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2021.