Traders seek permission to open shops

The Federation of Trade Associations Coimbatore, representing 14 trade bodies in the city, has appealed to Collector K. Rajamani to permit retail outlets here to reopen on May 4.

In a memorandum submitted to the Collector on Thursday, the Federation members said that nearly 20,000 families were dependent on the shops for their livelihood. The long lockdown period had affected all of them.

The members would take the required precautionary measures and adhere to safety norms when they reopened. The shops should be permitted to remain open at least from noon to 6 p.m. every day, initially. With Chennai under lockdown, the rest of the State was dependent on Coimbatore for several raw materials. Similarly, industries need to buy consummables when they commenced operations. Hence, the lockdown should not be extended for the retailers any further, they said.