New Delhi: As the COVID cases and positivity rate are declining in the capital city, Confederation Of All India Traders (CAIT) has written to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, urging them to take cognisance of stabilising the situation and pass an ‘immediate order’ to reopen markets. The domestic traders’ body has claimed that the 15 lakh city traders are in ‘dire financial state’ due to the over​-one-month-long lockdown period.

Notably, the national capital, which has been under strict lockdown since April 19 to combat the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, had started the unlock process from May 31 by permitting construction sector and factories to resume operations.

“The combined efforts of the government and citizens of Delhi have had a significant impact on the Covid situation in Delhi and as per yesterday’s health bulletin the positivity rate in Delhi has slipped around 1 per cent with a positive cases of about 500 only, which is a big relief from almost 35 per cent a month back,” read the letter by Praveen Khandelwal, National Secretary General, CAIT.

“In view of the above, we request you to take immediate steps to unlock Delhi, which is the need of the hour, to ensure that commercial activities should start without any further delay,” it added.

The traders body also suggested unlocking measures, including separate work timings for “wholesale and retail markets”, creating special hawkers and street vendors zone to ensure social distancing. The rejected the odd-even system, calling it a failure and requested the CM and L-G to let them open markets every day based on wholesale-retail staggered timing format.

“The wholesale markets should have work timings from morning 10 am to evening 4 pm, whereas the retail markets should open from afternoon 12 pm to evening 7 pm,” the letter read.

They also asked the AAP-led Delhi government to hold a discussion with them and take them into confidence before taking any decision.

“It should be a two-way process and participative governance approach if the government wants the traders to cooperate and stand in solidarity with the government in this battle against coronavirus,” the traders body said in the letter.

(With agency inputs)