PESHAWAR: Traders community in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa here on Sunday rejected the government’s proposed decision regarding imposition of a complete weeklong lockdown, which would be starting from May 8 to May 16; what they said the small businesses cannot afford further closure ahead of Eid festivity.
The reservations were come during a joint meeting of the traders community, in which deliberated on the proposed decision of National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), according to which, a complete lockdown would be imposed across the country from May 8 to 16, disallowing any kind of business activities during the weeklong lockdown.
The meeting of Traders Alliance Federation Peshawar and National Peace Council Trade Wing KPK was chaired by Ghulam Bilal Javed and under the supervision of Major Arshad Mahmood at Association Office Hafeez Chamber.
The meeting was attended by the presidents of various bazaars of Peshawar Cantt including Azizullah Khan Saraf, Chaudhry Shahid Ghafoor, Member Cantt Board Ghulam Hussain Chand, Bakht Mir Durrani, Babai Tajran Amin Hussain Babar, Sanaullah Khan Saraf, Sheryar Khan Saraf Jahangir Khan, Abdul Haseeb Chughtai, Haji Ehsan, Abid Hussain, Nomi Khan, Basit Waqar, Ahmad Ullah Durrani, Shakeel Khan, Munawar Khurshid, Hasnain sheraz, Abid Ud Din and Ammar Babar.
While addressing on the occasion, the participants said that Ramazan is the month of blessings for poor and rich, so, they added that, the small traders and shopkeepers wait for the whole year to celebrate the blessing of this month, the raise in economic activities directly affects the socioeconomic conditions of poor class of traders and shopkeepers.
The speakers said despite of introducing alternate ways to generate economic activities to support the money cycle, the government are destroying the remaining option of revivals. People’s have invested billions of rupees of wealth on this occasion which will be reduced to dust if NCOC should not reconsider its decision, otherwise government should mentally prepared for severe reaction, they added.
The traders suggested that Eid stalls should be set up in open fields and public parks in the style of Ramadan bazaars. They furthermore proposed that the district administration should take emergency measures in collaboration with the traders and the retail market should be open round the clock.
The participants emphasized that the administration has to prevent the disease by facilitation and serves not by sanctions,
We have to avoid both disease and hunger, says Ghulam Bilal Javed. We are aware of the corona epidemic but we should also look to our poor people and innocent shopkeepers who are going through devastating hardships at the moment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2021
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