Lockdown hits clothes merchants; 250 shops likely to be closed

Aurangabad, May 30:

Around 250 clothes shops likely to be closed down in the city if permission is not given to reopen shops from June first. The reason is that their owners cannot pay rent.

It may be noted that the State government imposed strict lockdown curbs to contain the spread of Covid 19 in the State. Except for essential services, all shops were closed.

There are 3,000 merchants with 50,000 employees in the city. Clothes merchants business were hit badly in two months lockdown. They could not do business in the wedding season, Gudi Padwa, Akshay Tritiya, Ramzan Eid, Bhagwan Mahaveer Janmotsav and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations.

Fashionable clothes of crores of rupees are brought here. A total of 90 per cent of stock is lying in their shops. Their stock was mostly damage because of shops closure. Many of them have taken a loan and are not able to pay its installments. The whole clothes business in financial crisis. The condition of their employees worse in the current situation.

Clothe Merchants Association made a demand with the district guardian minister and district collector to give permission to reopen the shops for four to eight hours from June 1.

Association president Vinod Loya said that there are 3,000 clothes shops in the district.

“Of the, 50 per cent are in the city. Around 50,000 employees and their family members are dependent on the shops. How to generate money to pay their wages as traders in a financial crisis is a question before us. A total of 250 medium level shops would be closed if permission was not given to reopen the business establishments,” he added.

Harmeet Singh, another showroom owner, said that he had brought fashionable cotton garments for the summer season. “We will have to sell lakhs of rupees cloths in next season. A new fashion will emerge till then. We could not do business during Eid festival. This will take our turnover to four years low and need four to five years to make up losses,” he added.

Kishor Kalda from Rajdarbar showroom said that for how many days we should sit at home.

“There is lockdown for the past two months. Also, except for two to three months, there was lockdown during the last one year. Traders are burdened with a loan and insurance installments. There is no alternative except reopening shops,” he asserted.

Sandeep Agrawal, the director of Aakarshan shop said that number of patients too had come down in the city.

“The district administration should give permission to reopen all shops, not just clothes, from June first by following all Covid norms. The financial condition of traders was affected very much.

It should be kept in mind that if traders survive, the economy will survive,” he added.