After Punjab permitted opening of shops in a staggered way on rotation for four hours every morning from April 30, a state of confusion was seen among shopowners in many parts of the State.
Several shops in the local markets in Kharar town of Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district were open, and though the owners asserted that “curfew has been relaxed”, the district authorities are yet to issue formal orders.
Attending to customers, Devinder Pal, owner of the Pal Boot House, said that after most owners opened their shops in his vicinity, he too did so. “I heard yesterday that the government announced relaxation in curfew from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m., and, therefore, I have opened my shop. I am not aware that shops are to be opened on rotation basis or after taking permission. If the administration asks me to shut my shop, I’ll do that,” said Mr. Pal.
Supporting the government’s move to ease the curfew, Mr. Pal said the decision was welcome and the relaxation should continue. “A few customers came as soon as I opened the shop. For over a month, the business had been at a standstill. I have already suffered losses running into thousands of rupees. How long can one continue to suffer losses.”
Across the road, a man running a dry-cleaning shop and who did not want to disclose his name, said the government should give clear instruction about the relaxations. “There’s a confusion among people about the curfew relaxations. Administration should make public announcements about the situation to clear the confusion,” he said.
Inside the town, at the Gandhi Bazar, most of the shops including those of utensil products, footware, cloth merchants were open in the morning. Moti Lal, a proprietor of a footwear shop, said most of the shops were open since morning after government’s announcement. “This will help to get our business back on track. As the lockdown is prolonging, it’s getting difficult to earn a livelihood. For how many days can I sustain on savings?” he said.
Endorsing Mr. Lal, the owner of an adjacent watch repair shop said: “This relaxation was urgently needed. I hope the confusion would be cleared soon and we would be able run our business again,” he said, but sought anonymity.
At the construction site of the “Balongi-Khanpur flyover’’ project in Kharar, workers were happy after project’s work started. “I was asked to return back to work at the construction site after many days. I am happy I will start making some money again,” said a worker.
