Traders on the Market Road-Broadway stretch, under the banner of Merchants Joint Action Council, have decided to down the shutters, terming as unscientific the COVID-19 regulations issued by the police.
“The area was a containment zone for the past 18 days. Traders have decided to close shop since directions imposed by the police are unscientific. Hence, we decided to shut shops till the police took traders into confidence and paid heed to our concerns. We regret the inconvenience caused to customers,” the joint action council said.
It has as members a dozen trader organisations, including the Kerala Vyapara Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti, chamber of commerce and worker trade unions such as CITU and INTUC.
In the meantime, Hibi Eden, MP, has said that the district administration must take the traders into confidence before imposing curbs at the Ernakulam market.
On their part, traders must ensure that they adhered to all regulations to contain the pandemic, he said.
The concern raised by traders over the stipulation that only 30 per cent of the shops would be permitted to on a day and that everybody must enter the market through one corridor, must be addressed. The commercial area comprising the wholesale market and Broadway market are very important to Kochi. This is because people rely heavily on them to procure essential items. Yet another proposal was to fix 5 p.m. as the deadline to close shops. These regulations will also affect commercial activities on T.D. Road, Jew Street, Cloth Baazar Road, and Convent Road. Customers too will be hit by the regulations. The district administration must thus review them, Mr. Eden said.
He also reminded the traders that they were duty-bound to adhere to the COVID-19 protocol.