Admitting the need to break the chain and arrest infections, industry bodies appeal for some relaxations
People shop at a market in Dadar East on Sunday. Pic/Ashish Raje
The mini lockdown has left shop and restaurant owners in the lurch. Leaders of these industries, which suffered huge losses following the total shutdown in 2020, were hoping to get back on their feet this year. But the new surge in cases has thrown them off the track. They want the state government to either give compensation or allow them to operate on weekdays.
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Only 30 per cent of the 20,000 odd restaurants in the city had reopened since October last year, although the new government order has allowed them to stay operational for take-away and deliveries during the ‘Break the Chain’ lockdown. The fresh restriction has dealt a crushing blow to the owners of 4 lakh-odd shops selling clothes, jewellery, shoes, etc, in the city. They fear losing business again to online platforms, which will leave them in a serious crisis, especially without any subsidies.
Viren Shah of Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association (FRTWA), said, “We understand that to break the chain of virus spread, strict preventive measures were required. But, we should also be allowed to open shops so that we can pay salaries, rent and taxes. We want the government to look into our request on sympathy grounds and allow non-essential shops to remain open from Monday to Friday as well.”
Online deliveries via WhatsApp
The association, in its meeting, has decided that every shop should start home delivery of non-essential products in their localities through WhatsApp and social media, and ensure that their business is not snatched away by any online players.
Meanwhile, AHAR (Indian Hotel and Restaurant Association) has objected to the decision of allowing food vendors for take-away and deliveries. AHAR Vice-President Niranjan Shetty said, “It is a black day for us. We were just hoping to get back on our feet and now this has hit us again. On top of this, the government is allowing food vendors for take-away. How are illegal street vendors allowed, especially when there are instructions from the Supreme Court on no cooking on street?”
‘A slow death’
Anurag Katriar, president of the NRAI (National Restaurant Association of India), has demanded permission to stay open on weekdays, if not, then the state government will assist them financially. “To operate only with deliveries, that too only till 8 pm, makes no commercial sense at all. It is like an excruciating and painful slow death for an erstwhile vibrant industry,” he said.
“We don’t want employees to suffer, but unfortunately, we don’t have adequate resources to support them for long... We are one of those sectors that work in a safe, closed environment with all the safety protocols in place, but [we're] being asked to shut down while some other activities like film shoots, construction activities, public transport, etc, continue to function,” Katriar said.
Traders across Maharashtra have opposed the government’s decision of closing shops/restaurants without offering any kind of subsidy. Every area representative will be using banners to display their displeasure.
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