Four textile markets on Ring Road shut in Surat

Surat: With the surge in the Covid-19 cases, four textile markets on Ring Road and 152 shops in three other textile markets were shut by the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) on Monday till further notice, to contain the spread of the infection .
Official sources said that four textile markets including JJ Textile Market, Surat Textile Market (STM), Millennium Textile Market and Raghukul Textile Markets were shut by the civic officials after more than three Covid-19 cases were detected among the textile shop owners and workers in the last few days.
About 152 textile shops in three other textile markets including Annapurna, Golden and New Textile Market (NTM) were shut by the civic authorities due to the rise in the Covid-19 cases.
Sources said that about 400 Covid-19 cases have been reported from the textile industry and that majority are related to the textile markets.
In a notification issued on Monday, civic chief Banchhanidhi Pani stated that the textile markets, textile powerloom units etc. will be shut for seven days in the case where one or more Covid-19 cases would be detected.
Following the closure action by the civic authorities, the office-bearers of Federation of Surat Textile Traders Association (FOSTTA) met Navsari MP CR Patil with the demand that only the wing or the floor from where the Covid-19 cases are detected must be closed rather than shutting down the entire market.
“In the morning we sealed four textile markets after more Covid-19 cases were reported from there. However, by afternoon we got an order to shut only the wing of the market from where the Covid-19 cases are detected and not the entire markets,” said a senior SMC officer.
“The floor or the wing of the particular market where Covid-19 cases will be found will be shut for a week,” he added.
The action has come after Chief Minister Vijay Rupani had visited the city on Saturday to review the situation following the surge in the Covid-19 cases in the city. Rupani had stated that the administration will be taking decision on the operation of the textile and diamond markets on Monday.
“We have requested not to shut the entire markets if one or more cases are recorded and that it has been accepted by the authorities. All market managements have been issued with strict advisory to follow the SOP issued by the government or else the markets will be shut,” said Champalal Bothra, secretary of FOSTTA.
“Since the day the Covid-19 cases from textile markets have risen, most of the textile traders are voluntarily not visiting the markets. Hardly 50% of the shops are operational in the market. The entry of finished and unfinished fabric from textile mills and powerloom units is already banned in the markets,” said Rangnath Sarda, a textile shop owner.