oppn parties Maharashtra 'Mini-Lockdown': Mumbai Traders Issue Ultimatum

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  • Karnataka HC has ruled that a harassment complaint lodged by a wife after receiving a divorce notice from the husband loses its weight in the eye of the law and quashed the FIR filed by a women against her husband and in-laws
  • 35 people killed in renewed violence in Manipur, 30 of them militants
  • Manipur boils on the eve of Home minister Amit Shah's visit as militants strike, vandalize MLAs home and loot armouries
  • Kerala chief minister P Vijayan says Centre's decision to cut the borrowing limit of the state is 'sadistic' and shows its negative mentality towards the state's development
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  • Centre said that the march-to-Parliament by wrestlers was a 'deliberate provocation'
  • Prime Minister Modi inaugurates the new Parliament building, calls it 'cradle of empowerment'
  • Mamata Banerjee will most likely attend the opposition meet called by Nitish Kumar in Patna
  • With container prices, which were on fire, crashing by 40% YoY, importers and exporters in India heaved a sigh of relief as the burden of high freight costs will reduce
  • In an aim to push lenders to manage risks better after the US financial crisis, the RBI has reviewed bond value norms
  • 14 countries under the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), including India, entered into an agreement to boost supply chains and counter China
  • Malaysia Cup badminton- H S Prannoy wins the title beating Weng Hong Yang of China 21-19,13-21, 21-18
  • Yashasvi Jaiswal replaces Ruturaj gaikwad as stand-by opener for the WTC final
  • IPL final washed out due to rain, rescheduled for today, the reserve day
  • In a shameful incident, Delhi Police manhandled international wrestlers when they sought to march peacefully to the new Parliament building to highlight their greivances, detained some top wrestlers
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oppn parties
Maharashtra 'Mini-Lockdown': Mumbai Traders Issue Ultimatum

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2021-04-07 09:46:14

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

In a questionable move, the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (MCCIA) issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the state government to withdraw its order to keep shops selling non-essential items closed in the city till April 30. The government had issued the order to prevent crowding in marketplaces in order to break the Covid chain as the second wave has gone out of control in the state. Most markets in Mumbai see huge crowds throughout the day despite the surge in Covid cases and health protocol is not followed in most of these markets.

But the traders, mainly sellers of computers and peripherals, argue that since the spread of Covid will make work from home the preferred mode of working once again, there will be huge demand for such items and if they are forced to keep their shops shut now, they will suffer huge losses. The traders argue that since ecommerce operations will not be stopped, all their business will go to such platforms.

But the traders must share a part of the blame. After unlock started happening, all market committees (and chambers like MCCIA) became lax and thought that the virus had vanished. They allowed unrestricted entry of people in their markets and shops and did not follow any Covid protocol. They allowed customers without masks, their employees also seldom wore masks and there was provision for sanitizing hands or maintaining physical distance. The administration must also own up as it allowed these markets to function without restrictions. But since the virus has now returned with a vengeance, especially in Mumbai and Maharashtra, the government needs to take all measures it deems fit to stop the rapid spread.

But these localized or specific lockdowns are temporary measures just to break the chain (though one is skeptical about its success). The main thing is to force these markets to follow the health protocols strictly hereafter. The administration needs to monitor these markets, either by patrolling or by CCTV. Any transgression must result in warnings first, then fines and ultimately closure for a specific period. These markets must ensure that employees and customers wear masks at all times, they must provide hand sanitizers and allow entry of as many customers in the shops at a time as can be accommodated while maintaining physical distance.

When pandemics strike, profit cannot be the only motive. Yes the wheels of the economy must be kept running to keep the home fires burning but not at the cost of the health or well-being of the people. The traders must treat this 'mini-lockdown' as a strict warning and brace themselves to do business in the new normal as per the stated rules or prepare themselves for more such closures. The people, and that includes the trading community, have to support the government in its efforts to curb the spread of the virus.