The uncertainty and late communication from the district administration regarding relaxations during the complete lockdown on Sunday has irked several establishments in the district.
The communication was issued so late that most traders were unaware of it, the Kozhikode unit of the Supermarkets Welfare Association of Kerala (SWAK) said. That a few corporate supermarkets were functional on the day has added to their woes.
“The district administration should inform us of such matters in advance, not at the eleventh hour,” SWAK district secretary K.M. Haneefa said, adding that traders had to sell off some perishable goods at half the price on Saturday in view of the complete lockdown on Sunday. “Neither could we inform our customers that we would be open,” he added.
The regulations pertaining to the lockdown on Sunday were issued late on Saturday night, and they had appeared on the Facebook page of the District Collector around 2 a.m. on Sunday.
Under the regulations, shops selling essential commodities could have been opened on Sunday. “But we did not even get time to inform our employees to turn up and make arrangements for their transportation,” Mr. Haneefa said.
SWAK had brought the matter to the notice of the Collector on Sunday, suggesting that proper communication be made well in advance in the future.
