Traders oppose lockdown, to hold protests in Chandigarh today

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 22

Senior functionaries of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) have decided to hold a series of protests against the lockdown policy of the UT Administration.

Charanjiv Singh, president, CBM, said a meeting of the Beopar Mandal was held today in the Sector 21 market over adverse impact of recent lockdowns in markets enforced by the government and likely announcement of more of such lockdown on weekends in near future. It was decided to hold a series of protests tomorrow in the markets of Sector 46, Sector 45 and Sector 17 from noon to 1 pm and in Sector 23 from 1 pm to 2 pm against the lockdown policy.

He said a protest against the lockdown policy was held in the Sector 21 market today after the meeting.

He said traders expressed unhappiness over such abrupt lockdowns without taking into confidence the stakeholders, which are predominantly traders of the city.

He said the step should only had been taken after some survey or data justifying such move and that also after keeping the trader bodies such as the CBM as part of the proceedings finalising such lockdowns.

He said trader leaders were of the view that the lockdown imposed last year had crippled the economy and small and medium traders were the worst-hit section of society. Hence, any repetition of such situation would be drastic for the trading community.

It was demanded that compensation in form of reduction in property tax, electricity, water charges, parking fee, lease money, rentals and extending liberal loans and subsidies, etc., must be announced by the government to support this revenue and employment-generating section of society.

Later, Charanjiv Singh, along with some prominent office-bearers of the CBM, protested against the lockdown as part of the Lockdown Virodhi Morcha at the Sector 17 Plaza.