Shops reopen only to be shut down within hours

TNN | Apr 27, 2020, 04:29 IST

Rajkot shop owners shut down shops hours after reopening on Sunday

Rajkot/Surat/Vadodara: The state government on Sunday modified its notification allowing shops selling non-essential items to reopen that was issued on Saturday. In the modified order, the state government stated that no shops apart from those dealing with essential items will be allowed to open till May 3 in Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot.
According to the statement issued by the state government, it had conditionally eased some lockdown restrictions on shops, leaving aside those inside malls and commercial complexes, following an order to this effect by the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) a day earlier.
However, the statement added that the decision to keep only shops dealing with essential items open was taken after meeting with civic chiefs of the four cities. The statement added that traders and retail bodies have been consulted on the issue and they were in support.
On Sunday, large crowds were seen in different markets of Rajkot since morning. The police forced the shops to close down in the afternoon. Jewellers in Soni Bazaar on Dharmendra Road had opened their shops on the occasion of Akshay Tritya festival.
Rajkot police commissioner Manoj Agrawal said, “After the government declared relaxation in the lockdown, there were large number of people on the roads. We have detained as many as 12,000 vehicles in the past 24 hours.”
District collector Ramiya Mohan said: “As per the government’s notification, only those shops selling essential commodities, milk, vegetables, fruits and medicines will be allowed to remain open.”
Rajkot Municipal Corporation commissioner Udit Agrawal said, “Of 65,000 shops in Rajkot, there are only 3,500 shops of essential commodities which will be allowed to function.”
In Surat, municipal commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani said that the city has one of the highest number of Covid-19 positive cases and was necessary to maintain social distancing. “So, in consultation with government and traders, we have decided to continue lockdown till May 3. Traders too have agreed,” Pani told TOI.
Vadodara municipal commissioner Nalin Upadhyay said that after the decision to open the shops was announced many representations were received from business associations as well as citizens. He said that concerns were expressed that if this was done the situation in the city that had been kept under control due to the lockdown would go out of control.
Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra said, “To achieve 12-day doubling (cases) target, which is a little difficult, we have appealed to shopkeepers to not open shops till May 3. We have spoken to trade bodies and they have agreed. Police has also been informed. With shops open, the infection rate is likely to increase.”