With shops at the E.K.M. Abdul Gani Textile Market remaining closed for two months, the traders have made representations to the government to relax the restrictions so that they could resume business after July 5.
About 370 daily shops and 730 weekly shops function on the market premises at the Panneerselvam Park in the city that is visited by merchants from across the State and from other States. Following the COVID-19 second wave, all the shops were closed from May 6 and are yet to be reopened. Due to lockdown in Maharashtra, Gujarat, West Bengal and a few other north Indian States, wholesale business was also affected leading to stocks piling up.
Since positive cases are dropping and the State government allowing power looms to function from Monday, traders at the market expect the government to relax the restrictions and allowing retail sales.
K. Selvaraj, president, Erode Gani Market Weekly Textile Trader’s Association told The Hindu that the association had made representations to the Minister and government officials to reopen shops.
“Since cases are decreasing day by day, we expect the government to announce relaxations so that we open our shops after July 5,” he added. Mr. Selvaraj said that 50% of their wholesale business dealing with cotton and rayon materials to Mumbai, Ahmedabad and few other places had resumed in the last one month. “We are hopeful of resuming our retail business very soon,” he said.
