Allow Shops To Open On Weekends: Traders Urge Delhi Govt to Remove Odd-Even Rules

Delhi Lockdown Latest Update: The traders said they are strictly against odd-even rule and added that they are not able to recover the losses that they have suffered in the last 2 years.

Delhi Lockdown News Today: Traders and shopkeepers in the national capita on Tuesday took to streets and urged the Kejriwal government to allow the shops to open on weekends. Expressing concern over the losses in their business, the traders said they are strictly against odd-even rule and added that they are not able to recover the losses that they have suffered in last 2 years.

“We request the Delhi government to allow us to open shops on weekends and are strictly against odd-even rule. We are not able to recover losses we faced in last 2 years,” Paramjit Singh, Vice President, Sadar Bazar Traders Association told news agency ANI.

Delhi | Shopkeepers protest over Odd-Even rule imposed amid a surge in COVID cases

We request govt to allow us to open shops on weekends & are strictly against odd-even rule; not able to recover losses we faced in last 2 years: Paramjit Singh, Vice Pres, Sadar Bazar traders Assn pic.twitter.com/3AtnbsYQ9e

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2022

Upset over the loss in business due to the odd-even rule, Rakesh Kumar, President of Sadar Bazar traders Association said the odd-even is now imposed on shops, and the traders were already suffering due to weekend lockdown. “Due to this, our shops are open only 10 days a month,” he lamented.

Earlier this month, the traders and shopkeepers of popular markets including Sarojini Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Chandini Chowk had said their businesses were taking a hit due to the odd-even regulation being imposed.

Highlighting the huge financial losses and unemployment that the rule will bring, the traders and markets associations had urged the Delhi government to strengthen the enforcement drive to remove illegal hawkers, and to control the crowd.

“We traders and shopkeepers wait for December and January since sales go up due to festive seasons and arrival of winter. The stock of winter clothes has arrived, and the wedding season is about to begin. However, the odd-even regulation means a complete loss for us and the staff whose lives are completely dependent on these sales. Amidst the rise in cases, we all are worried that lockdown will be imposed by the end of this week,” said Ashok Randhawa, president of the Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Association.

In the meantime, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) also expressed concern and wrote a letter to Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the Covid restrictions and odd-even rule.

“Odd-even regulation is not practical and extremely irrelevant. In fact, it only causes extreme inconvenience to the public at large. If consumers want to purchase two different products and those goods are dealt with by shopkeepers having odd and even numbers, the consumers will have to visit the market on both days. Instead of curbing movement of people, it only causes them to move out more frequently,” said Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary-General, CAIT.

Last month, the Delhi government had declared a ‘yellow alert’ under which schools, colleges, cinemas and gyms were asked to shut, and shops dealing in non-essential items were asked to remain open on odd-even basis.

The new restrictions were imposed after the national capital recorded biggest single-day spike in infections in over six months when 331 new cases were reported with a positivity rate of 0.67 per cent.