It is a tightrope walk for Karaikal administration

‘Sealing of shops will be carried out only as a last resort’

The Karaikal district administration is understood to be giving a strong push to make business establishments comply with safety protocol for preventing spread of COVID-19 pandemic.

The change in approach is stated to be visible after the visit of Puducherry Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy last week.

During his visit to take stock of the measures taken for containment of the pandemic, Mr. Narayanasamy advised officials to act courteously towards business establishments with an explanation that the Puducherry administration was pushed into a situation of depending on tax revenue in the absence of adequate funding from the Central Government for undertaking relief measures.

Over the last fortnight, a grocery shop, a travels agency, a jewellery showroom and an optical shop were among the business establishments that were sealed by official teams undertaking surprise inspections for not following social distancing norms.

Sealing of shops will henceforth be carried out only as a last resort, sources said, adding that the emphasis now was on imposing fines on the shops and on customers found flouting the safety protocol.

The Karaikal Chamber of Commerce had, a week back, expressed resentment over what it described as drastic action by the district administration and had sought deft balancing of enforcement of lockdown restrictions and relaxations for economic revival.

The Chamber is understood to have given a written representation that the business establishments will be forced to carry out a total strike if the trend of sealing of shops continued.

A. Muthaiya, president, Karaikal Chamber of Commerce, said the business establishments, on their part, were conscious about adherence to various safety parameters. The partial unlocking of restrictions since July 3 has resulted in marginal improvements in transactions.

As the business establishments are now permitted to function till 8 p.m., they are able to realise 40 to 50 % of the usual transactions.

But, the scope for complete revival of business activities in the near future was dismal since the district borders have been sealed, limiting the movement of floating population that drive the local economy in Karaikal, Mr. Muthaiya said.