KARACHI: Amid business downturn, the Sindh government’s move to keep the city lockdown on Tuesday on the arrival of Iranian president angered the traders. The government’s announcement declared Tuesday a provincial holiday in a bid to help the public to avoid inconvenience but traders saw the lockdown as an adverse move.

In downtown area, they said that Saddar shopping centers remained closed including the electronics market, which is located by MA Jinnah Road. However, restaurants remained open, they added.

Some main grain markets of Jodia Bazaar, Sarafa and clothes shops in the old city area were partially open but business activities were slow, they said.

Traders showed displeasure over the city’s lockdown, which they blamed for the huge financial losses. “Business closures caused Rs 3.5 billion a day,” Jamil Paracha, Chairman Sindh Tajir Ittehad said.

He said that the local administration sealed off key roads of the metropolis, which also perturbed the general public for being unable to reach thier planned destinations. “There should be an exclusive plan to avoid such restrictions on public movements,” he added.

Roads in the city’s heart such as MA Jinnah Road, Shahra-e-Quaideen and Shahra-e-Faisal stood closed with cargo containers, leaving public dismayed, he said that such moves scale down sales, resultantly.

“Our request to the government is to separate businesses from such of its plans which make us suffer the most,” Jamil said.

The federal government’s “traders friendly” tax policy will be ineffective under such circumstances, he added.

“Roads closures brought the public transports to a halt, which consequently impeded the L trade resumption,” President All Pakistan Organization of Small Traders and Cottage Industry, Karachi chapter, Mehmood Hamid said.

He said that the government failed to make a clear plan with time schedules to let the public and traders know as how long these restrictions will stay during the day.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024