No directive, yet Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation forces paan shops to close

AHMEDABAD: A day after Gujarat Paan Masala Shop Owners’ Association announced a voluntary decision to keep paan shops across the state shut over all weekends in April, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation on Saturday began shutting paan shops forcefully.
Teams of AMC’s solid waste management department shut several paan shops in the city on Saturday evening in areas including Prahladnagar, Odhav, Vastral, Sindhu Bhavan Road and Navrangpura.
People as well as shop owners were in a state of frenzy as AMC officials shut the shops without any official directive. The civic body officials did not cite the number of shops or the reason why they were being shut.
“Though shop owners had voluntarily decided to keep shops shut, the civic body officials forced many to down shutters. Even as shop owners are being considerate towards public health at the cost of their business, the civic authorities are exerting force for no reason. This is grossly unfair and the state government must take cognizance of the matter,” said Sanjay Joshi, president of Gujarat Paan Masala Shop Owners’ Association.