PESHAWAR: The traders in Peshawar kept their shops closed on Sunday, second consecutive day, under the government plan to contain Covid-19 pandemic. However managers of 38 wedding halls were arrested for violating the SOPs. It was observed that following the decision of the provincial government all the markets and shops remained closed on Sunday apart from shops of essential commodities including medicines, food, vegetable, tandoor, dairy, bakeries, poultry and general stores, etc. The traders demanded of the government to compensate them for the losses they suffered due to closure of businesses owing to different reasons.

Talking to media persons Tajir Itehad provincial president Mujeeb-ur-Rehman and Tajir Insaf union Peshawar president Shahid Khan said that business community was the worst hit due to the restrictions but government was yet to compensate them.

“We have presented our demands to the government which include provision of interest-free loans, exemption from different taxes, and compensation to the shopkeepers who had suffered due to construction of bus rapid transit (BRT),” Mujeeb said.

He said the BRT had disrupted traffic flow and its ultimate sufferers were the traders because their customers avoided visiting their shops due to changes in u-turns. He said the traders would continue cooperation for two weeks with the hope that government would resolve their issues without delay.

“The traders’ representatives will decide future course of action after two weeks, in case the government does not accept our demands,” he said.

Meanwhile, to comply with the decision of the provincial government, the officials of the district administration conducted raids in different areas on the directives of DC Capt (retd) Khalid Mehmood, along with the officials of police, by sealing shops and markets and imposed fine on those violating the SOPs.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021