: City traders disappointed as customers fail to turn up #IndiaNEWS #News Mysore/Mysuru: Though essential commodities and services have been kept out of the weekend curfew driven by COVID pandemic,

City traders disappointed as customers fail to turn up #IndiaNEWS #News
Mysore/Mysuru: Though essential commodities and services have been kept out of the weekend curfew driven by COVID pandemic, provision stores, ration shops and other shops selling essential commodities, are a disappointed lot as customers failed to turn up yesterday as expected during the curfew period.

Essential commodities shops and provision shops located in Central Business District, Mandi and Vanivilas markets as well as those in localities reported poor business on the first day of the weekend curfew on Saturday (Jan. 8) as only a few customers turned up, much to the disappointment of owners.

Devaraja Market, in the heart of the city, has 822 shops that are rented out on monthly basis and 250 other shops rented out on daily rent basis and most of the shops sell essential commodities like food grains, fruits, vegetables and other articles of daily use. But many of these shops did poor business on Saturday as customers failed to turn up on expected lines, especially when Sankranti, the first major festival in the new year, just a week away.

Barring medical shops, bakeries and sweet shops, a majority of the shops in the outer portion of Devaraja Market reportedly shut down a couple of hours after they opened, for want of customers.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Devaraja Market Tenants Association President S. Mahadev questioned what purpose would serve if shops are allowed to open and severe restrictions are imposed on movement of people.

Wondering how there will be good business for shops if people do not venture out of homes due to COVID-induced curfew, Mahadev opined that the authorities should have relaxed the curfew for a few hours so that people could do shopping.

R. S. Naveen Kumar, a Devaraja Market vendor, said according to his knowledge, vegetable vendors hardly did 10 percent of their usual business on Saturday. The vendors long wait for customers proved futile as very few people visited the Market due to curfew restrictions, he maintained.

Essential shops in other parts of Central Business District such as D. Devaraj Urs Road, Vinoba Road, Santhepet etc. , too reported low business due to the curfew effect.

Hotel, Tourism severely hit

The Hotel and Tourism in the city and district too was severely hit, as hardly a few tourists visited Mysuru during this weekend after the Government announced weekend curfew to check the spread of Coronavirus.

The Hotel, Hospitality and Tourism Industry business, which was slowly crawling back to pre-COVID level post the COVID pandemic, is once again in the doldrums as weekend curfew returned following the sudden spurt in Corona cases late last year and in the first week of the new year.