Confusion on revised timings on day 1, shops closed at 4pm in Dehradun

DEHRADUN: Amidst confusion among traders over

chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat

’s order that allowed shops to remain open between 7 am and 7 pm from Friday onwards, the shopkeepers in

Dehradun

were asked to close their shops at 4 pm on Friday.

The decision over new market timings across the state was taken during a meeting chaired by CM Rawat on Thursday. The timings were increased to encourage business activities that have been severely hit during Covid-19 lockdown.

Pankaj Mason, president of Doon Valley Mahanagar Vyapar Mandal, said “Business owners were confused over revised timings. However, district magistrate Ashish Kumar Srivastava had told us that the shops will have to be closed at 4 pm till further orders.”

The officials have clarified that the shops were asked to close by 4 pm on Friday as they had not received any official order by then. Later in the evening, DM Srivastava received the order and cleared that shops can now remain open till 7 pm.

Manvedra Singh, a salon owner told TOI, “Since the news about the revised timings was making rounds since Thursday, we were prepared to keep our shops open till 7 pm on Friday. But at around 3.50 pm, cops asked us to shut shops. Thankfully, we had not given any appointments to clients.”

In other parts of state as well, including

Haridwar

and Nainital, the shop owners closed their shops at 4 pm. Mridul Kaushik, president of

Chandra Charya Chowk

Vayapar Mandal, told TOI, “Even if the timings are increased, there is not much business at present. The traders also fear the risk of getting infected.”

Traders in Nainital echoed the sentiment saying that there is not much pressure from the district administration and police to close shops early but there aren’t enough customers in the market.