–LCCI chief says decision to resume business operations taken with consensus of over 100 associations
LAHORE: Amid reports that the Punjab government is thinking of extension in the lockdown till May 31, a panel of Lahore traders on Saturday said they would defy the government orders and resume their businesses from May 10 (Sunday).
Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Irfan Iqbal Shiekh said: “Enough is enough for the traders of Lahore and they will open their markets from the 10th without waiting for the permission.”
He said the decision to open markets was taken in a meeting attended by the representatives of more than 100 associations of Lahore markets, who decided to resist the lockdown. According to the LCCI chief, the traders would initiate a jail bharo movement if the government came after them.
According to the Punjab Planning and Development (P&D) Board, 11.2 million people could lose their jobs if the provincial government imposed a complete lockdown to tackle the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the board informed its international development partners that unemployment on account of a complete lockdown could increase by 18.65 million across the country and by 11.2 million in Punjab alone.
The markets, with the exception of grocery stores and vegetable and meat shops, in the province are closed since mid-March when the government decided to put the province on lockdown to curb the spread of the deadly contagion. It has been extended multiple times since then.
On Friday, the Punjab government again extended lockdown in the province till May 9, however, some stores and shops were allowed to open from 2am to 4am.
Milk and yogurt shops, grocery stores, tandoors and bakeries during Sehri hours were allowed to remain open in addition to their operational hours, 9 am to 5 pm, during the lockdown.
The government had also announced the opening of the opticians’ shops, bakeries, pesticide shops, seeds and fertilizer shops and auto workshops from 9 am to 5 pm. “Agriculture machinery workshops, spare-parts shops and vendors will be allowed working during fixed timings. Milk and yogurt shops, poultry and chicken-meat shops will remain open from 9 am to 8 pm,” it had said.
The chief minister had said that public transport will remain closed and markets, shopping malls, restaurants and government and private offices will also remain closed. However, medical stores and pharmacies will remain open, he had added.
On April 23, the government had decided to partially open Ramzan Bazaars. Minister of Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal had said that the traders should “ensure that precautionary measures regarding coronavirus are taken in the markets which will be open during Ramzan”. “Any negligence would result in the market being immediately closed,” he had added.
