The Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samiti (KVVES) will resort to a district-wide token strike on Thursday demanding more freedom for the operation of commercial establishments and shops in containment zones.
According to KVVES leaders, all shops, except pharmacies, will remain closed as part of the strike, which is also a protest against implementing ‘unjust regulations’ by the police in the name of COVID-19 protocol.
“We have already conveyed our demands to the District Collector, but there was no favourable action. Last week, many shops were forcibly closed by the police and it should not happen again,” said KVVES district general secretary K. Sethumadhavan.
KVVES functionaries also said traders across the State would launch a State-wide agitation if the authorities were acting hostile towards them. They also said that merchants had been going through an acute financial crisis because of the pandemic situation.