Staff Reporter
Sindh TajirIttehad Chairman Jameel Paracha has said that they were even ready to open shops in the city for at least two hours as resuming businesses without opening the shutter was not possible.
“Retailers could not conduct businesses online,” he said adding that they have conveyed their grievance to the provincial ministerial committee dealing with the matter.
He said that Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah has assured them to resume retail businesses in couple of days. However, Jameel Paracha said that it has come to their notice that the business would not be allowed to resume before April 30.
The trader said that it has been more than a month since they have been cooperating with the provincial government during the lockdown, however, the situation has turned to worst due to the ongoing shutdown.
“The small traders could not bear more losses,” he said and demanded of the federal and provincial governments to provide interest free loans to them.
He blamed the authorities for adopting a discriminatory behavior with traders in Karachi and claimed that businesses in other parts of the province including Hyderabad are running in a usual manner.
It is pertinent to mention here that Sindh government on Saturday allowed to resume business activities in the province with strict conditions attached to it during coronavirus lockdown.
According to a notification issued from the provincial home ministry, the traders have to completely implement the standard operating procedures devised for online shutter down business.
A prior list of the shop owners, staffers and delivery boys working at the business place should be provided to the provincial government while all preventive material including hand gloves, sanitizers be provided to them.
No customer dealing would be allowed at the shops and only online orders would be entertained for the purpose. The shutter of the shops will remain close all the time except for the delivery of items.
The order will come into effect from April 27 for an indefinite period and the shop owners had to give an undertaking for fully implementing the SOPs.
