Garment sale has been badly affected with Durga Puja Covid guidelines forbidding fairs, restricting the size of pandals and idols and a putting stopper on bhog distribution. Rough estimates suggest that only around Rs 100 -200 crore sale is expected this year, against the previous year’s sale of around Rs 1000 crore.

The dull situation of the 150 old wholesale garment shops at the Karkend market presents the pitiful condition of garment sale, as very few retail owners putting up shop to carry out sale.

The condition of retail garment shopkeepers at various other markets are no better.

People purchasing sarees at a shop in Hirapur Park Market, Dhanbad on Wednesday Gautam Dey

At Park Market, Bank More, Purana Bazaar, Jharia Kaprapatti, Nirsa, Kumbardubi, Chirkunda Bazar, Digawadih Mohan Bazar, Saharpura market in Sindri, Katras Market, Govindpur Upper Bazar, there is only a 10 percent footfall of customers being seen this year.

Talking to The Telegraph Online on Wednesday, Umesh Heliwal, a garment trader of Karkend Bazar the biggest wholesale garment market of the region where over 100 wholesale garment outlets are operating, said that the usual trade of the market till last year was around Rs 1 to Rs 5 per crore per shop, but the situation is grim this year.

“Those who would earlier have a sale of Rs 1 crore are not expected to reach Rs 10 lakh this year,” he said.

“The lack of savings, of liquidity in the market, the strict puja guidelines restricting fairs, forbidding theme-based pandals, lighting etc have all worked as the biggest puja sentiment dampener,” said Heliwal who is also the president of a garment traders association called Vastra Vyavsai Sangh.

Echoing sentiments, Md Sohrab, president of the Purana Bazar Chamber of Commerce, said, “Besides the lack of money, the fear of contracting Covid is also working as a deterrent for brisk garment sale as all of around 500 garment sellers of Purana Bazar, majority of which are ready-made garment sellers are witnessing around 20 per cent of sale this year”.

“Our market, which used to have no space to breathe ahead of Durga Puja, is now wearing an almost deserted look,” said Soharab.

Shopkeepers and salesmen waiting for customers at a men's ready-made garments store in Hirapur Park Market, Dhanbad on Wednesday Gautam Dey

He added that people of all sections of society have been hit by the impact of the lockdown and only some garments for children are being purchased by families, instead of the usual practice of buying of new garments for the entire family.

Amit Sahu, president of the Jharia Chamber of Commerce, said as sale is less and there is lesser capital with shopkeepers, lesser stock has been purchased due to the fear of loss that if the products go unsold.

“The print and design will later turn obsolete,” said Sahu.

“The wholesalers are not providing stock to retailers on credit as was the usual practice. They are demanding cash for providing stock which is desisting people from purchasing new stock in sufficient quantities,” he said.