Meena Bazaar on Sawday Road in the city, which turns into a shopper’s delight every year during Ramzan, will remain shut till Eid this year.
Though the lockdown is scheduled to end on May 17, about a week before Eid-ul-Fitr, the merchants of Meena Bazaar have resolved against opening their shops till Eid concludes.
Meena Bazaar Merchants’ Association President Ilyaz Baig said any move to open the shops to facilitate shopping for Eid could possibly lead to spread of COVID-19. If Meena Bazaar open and crowds throng the shops, Muslims will again incur the wrath of the media for spreading coronavirus, he feared.
Every year, Meena Bazaar attracts hordes of people to the shops for salwars, sarees, kurtas etc for Eid, while a large number of people make a beeline to the eateries that spring up on the stretch of the road, dishing out a variety of fare. Apart from shops, several pushcart vendors also find vantage spots in the area to sell items ranging from skull caps to trinkets and bangles.
The shopkeepers took a cue from their counterparts of Shivajinagar in Bengaluru, who have also decided against opening their shops till Eid, Mr. Baig said.
He has also appealed to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa to put off the decision to lift the present lockdown from May 17 till Eid concludes on May 23 or 24.
Every year, Meena Bazaar, the stretch of Sawday Road from Ashoka Road on one side to Kalamma Temple (KT) Street on the other, comes alive with illuminated shops attracting shoppers. Meena Bazaar is so crowded that vehicles are prohibited from entering the road.
