New Market, Hazi Park traders want resumption of business

Our Reporter
Dimapur, June 2 (EMN): After a complete lockdown for 72 days, and running, the gaonbura (GB) of New Market in Dimapur has appealed to the district administration to lift the containment order, and open the market at the earliest to ease the hardships of the traders.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Khekishe Aye, the GB of New Market (Ward 19), said that business establishments have so far obeyed and followed the orders of the administration for the past 72 days without any complaints, keeping aside the financial losses they have incurred.

However, Aye said that the business establishments under New Market are bearing the brunt of the ‘ever-increasing rent’ as their only source of income has been closed since the past two months.

Likewise, he appealed to the Dimapur Municipal Council (DMC) and the respective landlords to do away with the rent of the tenants affected by the lockdown.

In an appeal to the administration, the business association called for re-opening the New Market at the earliest. If necessary, he said, the traders and the business association have agreed to follow ‘alternative-day regulation and hour-based opening of shops,’ if the district administration makes arrangements accordingly.

“If we are allowed to open, we will make sure that social distancing is maintained,” Aye said.

Aye said that there were around 2000 shops in the market comprising all types of goods and products. He added that most of the goods and products were being left to decay or expire, which again would result in huge loss for the traders.

Hazi Park traders

In a separate appeal on Tuesday, the Hazi Park Business Welfare Committee (HPBWC) also called upon the district administration to consider the distress of the traders including their employees who are facing financial crisis since the lockdown began.

Stating that other shops, showrooms in the town including all the shopping malls, had been relaxed from the lockdown, it appealed to the administration to issue ‘permit’ for the business establishments to open the Hazi Park market with guidelines to be followed.

At the same time, it assured that the committee would put all effort to maintain and enforce social distancing and comply with all other protocols and SOP.