KOZHIKODE: Merchants at the SM Street, the main commercial hub in Kozhikode, staged a mass protest on Monday against the alleged unscientific TPR based lockdown restrictions and demanding permission to open shops on all days.
The protest march by merchants affiliated to the Kerala Vyapari Vyavasayi Ekopana Samithi (KVVES), which had declared that the merchants would open the shops violating the restrictions as part of the agitation, was blocked by the police at the entrance of the SM Street at 10am, which led to a minor scuffle between the police and protesters. Also, workers of Youth Congress, Yuva Morcha and Muslim Youth League took out marches expressing solidarity to the merchants. Police took many protesters into custody and registered cases against 25 people under Kerala Epidemic Diseases Act (KEDA).
KVVES state president T Nazirudheen and general secretary Raju Apsara said that its members would open shops across the state from Thursday onwards complying with Covid protocols if they don’t receive a favourable response from the government.
Kozhikode town limits, under which SM Street falls, was earlier in Zone B and shops used to function on three days a week. Recently the area came under Zone C with average TPR between 10% and 15%, leading to stricter curbs under which the shops can now be opened only once in a week (on Fridays) which triggered the protest.
Merchants said that the TPR-based restrictions were unscientific as it led to large number of people thronging the shops when they were opened for just one day a week. Also, they said that the government has adopted double standards by allowing beverage outlets to function freely with long queues before them.
Nazirudheen said that they were demanding permission to open shops on all days a week by complying with Covid protocols and also put an end to the police excesses in the name of Covid control. “We got promises from the government that they would take a decision on our demands to ease restrictions after the CM returns from Delhi,” Nazirudheen said.
Forest minister A K Saseendran said that the government was aware of the hardships faced by the merchants due to the restrictions and has directed the district collector to hold talks with the merchants. He added that the government has, during the last two weeks, been easing the restrictions in a phased manner but added that the demand to allow shops to function without any curbs in places with TPR of above 15% was not understandable.
Consider plight of traders, Kanthapuram urges govt
Sunni leader Kanthapuram A P Aboobacker Musaliyar urged the state government to lift the lockdown restrictions and consider opening the shops and establishments on all days. Speaking to reporters in Alappuzha, he said that the merchants in the state are in deep crisis as they are allowed to function only three days a week.
He also said that he had communicated this to industries minister P Rajeev. He said that the minister had promised him that the government will take this into serious consideration and find a solution. Musaliyar also urged the government to give permission to conduct prayers in mosques in the wake of Bakrid next week.
