Garment and shoe shops can reopen in district headquarters, in areas outside containment zones, from Friday, the state government has announced, acceding to a key demand widely voiced by traders from across the state.
Chief secretary Sukhdev Singh notified the new relaxations, the first since Unlock 1.0 was announced on June 1, after the order was issued on Thursday evening by the state home, prison and state disaster management department.
“Shops selling clothes/readymade garments/hosiery in urban areas of district headquarters are permitted to open. Shops selling footwear in urban areas of district headquarters will also function. These will be effective from June 19,” the order said.
All other guidelines vis-à-vis business establishments, issued prior to Thursday’s order, shall continue to remain unchanged till further review, the order added.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), the leading alliance partner in the ruling coalition, had formally requested chief minister Hemant Soren to allow reopening of garment and shoe shops as these could be considered as essentials.
The JMM had also cited losses faced by traders across the board following the lockdown and asked the government to adopt sympathetic view towards their demand.
Owners of garment and shoe shops have been staging regular protests over the last two weeks in various parts of the state seeking resumption of their businesses.
While welcoming the move, Anil Jalan, president of the Jharkhand Thok Vastra Vikreta Sangh said, “We are happy with the order. From tomorrow (Friday), we shall get back to business in full steam while adhering to all safety norms prescribed by the state and central governments.”
Praveen Lohia, another member of the outfit and proprietor of Only Vimal, a retail store in Ranchi, said under the new normal, customers would be allowed to try out garments in shops. “In sync with government advisories, we too have readied our standard operating procedures (SOPs) as a part of which we have decided to not allow trial of any clothes,” he said.
