In the process of unlock-1, State biggest trade body the Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industry has appealed to Chief Minister Hemant Soren for granting permission to operate shops and business establishments linked with garments, jewellery, cosmetics and footwear.
Chamber president Praveen Jain Chhabra welcoming the State Government decision for unlock 1, which will be speed up trade and commerce in the State, said that with the aim of speeding up the economic activities in the State, the Government should increase the scope of exemptions. The Chamber in this connection has also written a letter to Chief Minister Soren.
Chhabra said that traders and businessmen from nine districts including Ranchi are disappointed with the government decision of not granting permission to garments, jewellery, cosmetics and footwear sectors. Listing out the financial crunch, traders and businessmen associated with these units are facing, the chamber president said that these businessmen are facing financial crunch due to lockdown. The Chamber in its letter has also suggested steps such as operation of business work for four days till 2 pm in week with strict precautionary measures.
The Chamber letter assumes importance as the Jharkhand government on Tuesday extended the lockdown-like restrictions till June 10 with some relaxations. This is the fourth time that the restrictions, first imposed on April 22 for a week, were extended. The ongoing measures were scheduled to end on June 3.
Jharkhand Wholesale Cloth Dealers Association, president Prakash Arora too demanded operation of garment industries in unlock 1. Arora said, “The State Government in the larger interest of trade and commerce industries should grant permission to cloth sectors to open up their shops, as cases of corona are witnessing a decline in State due to the initiative of Chief Minister Hemant Soren.” He said that the cloth association had shut their shops on April 18, four days before the state went for a restricted lockdown, but now when things are improving the state government should grant permission to cloth sectors to open their units.
Echoing the views of Arora, another garment trader, Rohit Poddar said that the state government has given permission to open up cloth, jewellery, cosmetics, footwear in 15 districts, but most of the cloth, cosmetics and footwear are supplied in these fifteen districts from nine districts including Ranchi and Jamshedpur.
He claimed that the very purpose of opening up shops in fifteen districts will not be served as the demand supply chain will be restricted.
Closed clothes shops in Ranchi during lockdown