An apex organisation of trade bodies in north Bengal has written to the state government, seeking revision of business hours after the administration imposed restrictions on opening of markets to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The Eastern ABC Chamber of Commerce & Industries, which represents 102 trade associations in the region, sent a letter to the chief secretary, requesting him to change the business hours from 10am to 3pm.

Shortly after Mamata Banerjee had taken oath as the chief minister for the third time on Wednesday, she announced that markets would remain open from 7am to 10am and from 5pm to 7pm.

“We have written to the chief secretary, urging him to revise the business hours. In Siliguri and most other parts of Bengal, business commences from around 9am and onwards. That is why we want the state to let the markets remain open from 10am to 3pm,” said Surajit Paul, the convener of the trade body.

He has said the time slot from 7am to 10am is fine for vegetables, grocery and similar food items.

“But it is not so for other items. Most of the staff report at the shops and business establishments around 9am and are supposed to work till 7pm. After they leave at 10am, they are reluctant to return for the second shift. Some of our members have even offered them transport costs but they are not ready to join the second shift. This has become a huge problem for us,” said Paul.

A hardware merchant in Siliguri said the scale of business had already come down by 60 per cent because of the restrictions.

“We are also concerned over the situation but instead of two slots (of three and two hours), the state government should allow us to keep the shops open for five hours at one go. This would largely reduce the inconveniences we are facing these days,” he mentioned.

Some other shopowners of the town pointed out that opening and closing a shop twice a day was a cumbersome job. Also, in the first three hours, few customers turn up. In the second half, people swarm in and it becomes tough for them to handle each customer and close down the shops within the stipulated time.

“The scale of business has already come down. We cannot afford to lose customers now. But on a number of occasions, we had to down our shutters in the evening despite having customers waiting because we do not want to flout the government directive,” said a garment shopowner.

Another announcement made by Mamata on Wednesday left tea planters perturbed.

While addressing a news conference in Nabanna, Mamata said only 50 per cent of the workforce could be engaged in a shift in tea gardens.

According to the planters, production starts gaining momentum from May and the following three-four months account for the maximum output.

“We have been adhering to health safety protocols since last year. Social distancing and other guidelines can be easily followed in the tea industry because the area of operation is vast. Last year, the production had dipped and we do not want it again. We hope the state government will understand the situation and let us function with full workforce,” said a tea planter based in Siliguri.