Ghumar Mandi traders want timings changed

Rajneesh Lakhanpal

Ludhiana, May 29

Ghumar Mandi is a well-known shopping destination for the city residents. People from middle class to upper class shop here for dress materials, designer sarees, suits, wedding sarees, fancy laces, curtains etc.

Happy Verma, president of Ghumar Mandi Malls and Shopkeepers Welfare Society, says this market was going through a tough time in the wake of Covid-19. Low turnout of customers is the cause for worry for cloth merchants, jewellers and utensil traders.

Verma owns "Benzer Store" in the market that deals in artificial flowers and plants. The Covid-19 lockdown had dented customers’ earnings and they were buying essentials only these days.

He said 7 am-6 pm market timings were not suitable to the business fraternity. Shopkeepers keep requesting him to take up the matter with the administration. The scorching heat prevents customers from visiting the market in daytime, he added.

Verma said he had made several representations to Deputy Commissioner Pradeep Agrawal on behalf of his 280 members seeking change in the market timings from12 noon to 8 pm.

Deepinder Singh, owner of PK Watch Co., said customer footfall had come down to about 30-35 per cent. Though we are happy that the shops have been allowed to open and we are able to meet the expenses on labour.

Deepinder said the Covid-19 scare was still looming large and the scorching heat had compounded the shopkeepers’ worries. However, the association was regularly guiding the shopkeepers for maintaining social distancing and ensuring proper sanitisation during customer visits.

The government should consider our genuine demand and come up with suitable timings to give a boost to retail business, he added.