The Upper Assam Chamber of Commerce has expressed its dismay at the Jorhat administration’s decision of allowing shops and wholesellers to open on alternate days.
The Upper Assam Chamber of Commerce is one of the oldest and largest traders company in upper Assam based in Jorhat.
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In an appeal addressed to the deputy commissioner to redress its grievances, the UACC further said that it was aggrieved and surprised at this decision as well as the opening timing of wholesellers and shops being fixed at 10 am for both and closing being 6 pm for wholesellers and 8pm for shops.
Referring to a meeting held on Tuesday with the deputy commissioner in which they had apprised the deputy commissioner of the commercial losses they had already faced due to the successive lockdowns and hoped that the business establishments would be allowed to open six days a week.
Listing its grievances, the UACC stated that several shopkeepers came from rural areas early in the morning and returned before 10 am so that they could open their shops for the day.
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These shopkeepers would face heavy losses if they came and stocked up at 10 and then returned to their shops after that.
It further pointed out that there would be heavy rush in shops and a chaotic situation would prevail at 10 am as most employees of government, semi government and private organizations would be commuting to their respective workplaces during that hour.
Further making a case for the six day a week opening of establishments, the Chambers said with only half the shops opening on any day, those shops would witness heavy rush and opening all the shops would help in spreading out the customers.
Stressing on social distancing, the Chambers said social distancing and sanitizing could be better maintained if the rush was less in any given shop.
The UACC further said the odd-even rule should not apply to commercial vehicles as many were paying heavy EMIs and plying their vehicles on either even or odd days was not viable.
Moreover, most business establishments had only one vehicle and they sometimes had to hire at exorbitant rates.
Also those who came from rural areas mostly have one vehicle and were not able to come to the town to stock up on certain days which affected their businesses.
Given the aforementioned difficulties faced by the business establishments, the UACC asked deputy commissioner Roshni A Korati to reconsider her decision and permit wholesellers to open from 6 am to 6 pm on all days and retail stores from 8 am to 8 pm on all days.