KOLHAPUR: The traders in Ichalkaranji and Jaysingpur have decided to reopen the non-essential shops from Friday.
The state government was expected to take a decision on the request made by the representatives from the district to allow non-essential shops in urban places, with Covid positivity rate below 10%, to open. However, no decision has been taken so far.
On Wednesday, minister of state for health Rajendra Patil-Yadravkar had said that the non-essential shops in urban areas of the district will be allowed to open from Friday.
Abhijit Patwa, the president of Ichalkaranji Vyapari Association said, “We are going by what the minister has said and will no longer wait for the formal orders from the government to starts the establsihments. Therefore, we are going to open shops from Friday.”
“Ichalkaranji has a positivity rate of around 8%. There are just a few active cases and the rate of recovery is also high. Therefore, the town qualifies for the unlocking phase,” he said.
On Wednesday evening, the minister, Hatkanangale MP Dhairyasheel Mane and Lalit Gandhi, the vice-president of Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce and Industries, met chief minister Uddhav Thackeray at the official residence, Varsha.
Gandhi said, “The chief minister has asked his officials to get the details of the places, where the positivity rate is less and the non-essential shops can be opened there. We have insisted that decision should be taken for the entire state.”
