Monday, 14 June 2021 | PNS | Dehradun
After the Uttarakhand Government provided some relaxation to the local businessmen to operate their shops from 8 AM to 5 PM on three days of the current phase of the Covid curfew, some business associations have proposed that the chief minister allow the operation of shops five days a week. According to them, the numbers of Covid-19 positive cases have significantly declined and the businessmen should now be allowed to operate their shops.
However, locals and shopkeepers have different views on this matter. According to Anshu Saini, a Rudrapur resident, shops or any businesses must not be allowed to operate for long hours because the situation is still quite vulnerable across the State. “People tend to visit marketplaces whether they need something or not. Also, if the shops do not open full time soon, the marketplaces would be crowded even during the curfew just because people want to get out of their houses in curfew period,” said Saini. Ashish Kumar, a school teacher from Dehradun said that shops must be allowed to open but only for few hours and the hours must be increased gradually as per the local situation of the cities. “Less positive cases of Covid do not indicate that the pandemic is going to end soon and the government should not allow all the businesses to operate at once. Ignorance and carelessness are the reasons due to which the second wave of Covid hit us so hard. Local authorities need to become more serious about the implementation of Covid norms in their areas even when there are negligible cases of covid,” stated Kumar.
A Rishikesh resident, Monika Sharma also opined that markets can be allowed to operate with proper guidelines as a closed market affects the livelihood of several people who work there. Prakash Gusain, a salesman in a clothing store in Paltan Bazaar of Dehradun said that he wants shops to operate full time as he has not received full salary since the Covid curfew was announced in the district. He stated that since his wife also lost her job during lockdown last year in a private school, it has been hard for him to feed his family and spend money on his children’s school admission and books. “I know Covid scare is still there but people need their jobs to survive in the city. I think the government must take serious action against those who violate Covid guidelines but the shops must not be closed for much longer now,” said Gusain. Talking about the demand of opening of shops five times a week, Sunil Masson from Doon Udyog Vyapar Mandal (DUVM) said that they have lost about 200 businessmen during the pandemic and they understand the severity of Covid-19 disease. However, he said that since the Covid cases have declined drastically in the state, the State Government must allow the operation of shops five days a week from this week regarding which DUVM recently met CM Tirath Singh Rawat. “We would cooperate with the authorities completely to restrict the contagion in marketplaces but the opening of markets is important for hundreds of businessmen and employees amid this pandemic,” stated Masson.
