According to reports, Maharashtra has witnessed a steady decline in daily coronavirus cases over the past three weeks. This has led to the rising demand for relaxation from the ongoing lockdown, which will be in place till June 1. Similarly, experts have opined that the curve has begun to flatten in Mumbai. The daily cases in the city have gone below 1,500 after a spike in April.
Hence, amid this dip in daily COVID-19 cases in Mumbai, small scale industrialists, businessmen, retail shop owners have urged the Maharashtra government to allow them to reopen shops from June.
This staunch demand comes as they have been facing massive losses since the lockdown has remained in effect for over 55 days.
Also Read: COVID-19 restrictions in Mumbai: Will local train services resume for general public?
Commenting on the current restrictions in the state, the Chamber of Associations of Maharashtra Industries and Trade (CAMIT) chairman Mohan Gurnani said that this lockdown due to the second wave has broken our backs.
“We do not have reserves in hand, unlike last year. Moreover, we have to pay for all the expenses despite ‘zero income’. We have already suffered huge losses from the beginning of the pandemic, which is since the last 15 months. If the lockdown continues, we might not be able to pay salaries to our staffs anymore. Besides, even the labourers and small scale traders have no income or earnings since over last 50 days,” he expressed.
On similar note, the Federation of Associations of Maharashtra (FAM) president Vinesh Mehta said that lockdown is not the solution to contain the spread of the coronavirus. The complete shutdown of shops and businesses has led to a huge amount of loss. However, if the restrictions imposed by Uddhav Thackeray-led government continue in the state, they will have no choice other than to commit suicide.
Meanwhile, CAMIT and FAM both have urged the state government and the BMC to allow traders to open shops and private offices to operate in adherence with all COVID-related norms. They have also requested to resume operations with time limits or on alternate days instead of extending the lockdown. As this will help traders to sustain and they will be able to pay staff salaries and help daily wagers.
“Since the government has not responded to any of our proposals, we have decided to open the shops even if the lockdown restrictions are not lifted on June 1. The financial burden has increased on these small scale traders and businessman. Hence, a lockdown extension is not acceptable at any cost. Despite no income, the government is charging all the taxes, due to which the traders community has already faced a loss of approximately INR 50,000 crore,” shared Mehta.
Gurnani also mentioned that it will not be possible for the owners to sustain themselves if such disruptions continue. In addition, the economy will also eventually get affected. He further stated: “We have asked the state government to give some subsidy or rebate in property tax, electricity bills or other resources as per our usage. Even though we are an unorganized sector, we deserve compensations. However, they are taking the liberty to not respond quickly or take any action as we are not united. Hence, we will soon form a joint action committee of major chambers and demand subsidies from the government."
Also Read: COVID-19 restrictions: Maharashtra govt to ease curbs in phases from June 1
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