noida: As the Uttar Pradesh government insists on continuing weekend lockdowns despite directions issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs for Unlock 4, traders and market associations in Noida have strongly opposed this move and said it hurts their business too much.
Traders and members of market associations have said that the markets tend to the salaried classes and with the weekend lockdown in force again no office workers are able to come to the market and their sales are continuously dropping.
"The lockdown had already caused a huge impact on our businesses. The market could only open for 21 days a month. Weekend lockdown isn't a practical solution, sales have dropped to 50 per cent from usual. Instead, the city should be divided into small zones of 3km radius and each cluster of zones be put under lockdown on separate days. This partial lockdown will also boost the economy and bring the GDP back on track," said Sushil Kumar Jain, president of the Sector 18 Market Association and Convenor of CAIT Delhi NCR.
Meanwhile, in several areas across the twin cities of Noida and Greater Noida, there are complaints that police are forcing shopkeepers even involved in selling essential items to shut down during the weekend lockdowns.
Shopkeepers have urged the administration to bring clarity so that cops can also follow the guidelines properly and at least shops selling essential commodities to function during the weekend lockdowns.