In view of the upcoming festival season, all shops across the city might be allowed to remain open five days a week instead of the present left-right system. However, the final decision rests with the Crisis Management Committee.
At a meeting of the district collector Manish Singh with Ahilya Chamber of Commerce and Industry led by its president Ramesh Khandelwal, the traders demanded that shops should be allowed to remain open five days a week and the left-right system should be scrapped, as it was detrimental to both the traders and the shoppers. They suggested the there could be two-day lockdown every day. This could be implemented as an experiment for one week.
Khandelwal said that collector Singh was very receptive to the idea and promised that he would push for this proposal at the Crisis Management Committee, which has to take the final call in this matter.
At the meeting, Khandelwal said that with the right-left system the traders hardly got 13 days business a month (Sunday being lockdown) and it was proving to be very difficult for traders who have to come from outside the district. He said that Rakhi and Eid are both major festivals for both the traders and the buyers and both should be given an opportunity to make the best use to the period.
Khandelwal also demanded that the IMC should stop harassing the traders and shopkeepers by threatening to lodge FIR against them.
