Gujarat: RAI wants malls, stores to reopen

AHMEDABAD: The Retailers’ Association of India (RAI) on Friday urged the government of Gujarat to allow the resumption of retail and economic activity, with safety measures in place, in green and orange zones.
A representation regarding this was made to Gujarat CM Vijay Rupani. The association has sought the reopening of malls and shopping centres, as they provide a controlled public environment which can allow for extensive measures to be undertaken for public health and safety needs.
“The mall ecosystem is critical to the economic revival and employment generation in manufacturing and retail sector. Malls act as the front end for 45% of India’s organised retail. Over 100 million jobs are directly and indirectly affected by the closure of malls,” the representation states.
RAI assured the government that the industry will deploy standard operating procedures based on government orders and WHO guidelines, if granted permission.