This story is from June 5, 2021

Nagpur: Shopkeepers irked by barricaded Sitabuldi main road that turns away customers

After hawkers on Thursday, Sitabuldi shopkeepers objected to steps taken by Sitabuldi police station on Friday. The hawkers protested against city police and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for not allowing them to put up stalls, while shopkeepers have objected to blocking the Sitabuldi main road, which prevents customers from coming to their shops.
Nagpur: Shopkeepers irked by barricaded Sitabuldi main road that turns away customers
The main road of the Sitabuldi market was barricaded on Friday
NAGPUR: After hawkers on Thursday, Sitabuldi shopkeepers objected to steps taken by Sitabuldi police station on Friday. The hawkers protested against city police and Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) for not allowing them to put up stalls, while shopkeepers have objected to blocking the Sitabuldi main road, which prevents customers from coming to their shops.
“The idea of unlock is to open and allow people to visit the market during the allowed period of 7am to 2pm.
Since unlock began, the road has been barricaded, stopping flow of traffic on the main road,” said Parag Thakkar, a shopkeeper on Sitabuldi main road. As our customers visit either on two or four-wheelers, they are confused when they reach Variety Square and turn back, pointed out Thakkar.
All the markets in Nagpur are freely doing business between 7am and 2pm barring Sitabuldi, said shopkeepers.
Hussain Noorallah Ajani, another shopkeeper and secretary of Sitabuldi Merchants Association, said due to barricading of the main road, traders here are not getting any customers as motorists cannot enter Sitabuldi main road. “Nagpur has been the worst-hit due to the longest lockdown in the country. Shops are open now, but there is no business due to the illogical decisions by authorities,” he pointed out.
It’s the first week of the month and time for salaries, rents, EMIs, electricity and telephone bills. “How are traders supposed to pay all this if they have to suffer illogical decisions?” shopkeepers asked.
The association members also met mayor Dayashankar Tiwari, urging him to issue directives to city police to remove the barricades.
Senior PI from Sitabuldi police station Atul Sabnis justified the move to barricade the main road. He said it has been blocked to prevent congestion of vehicles at the busy Variety Square.

He further pointed out there are several internal lanes to visit shops in Sitabuldi. Customers who intend to shop are using these roads, he said. “Our intention is clear that we won’t allow crowding on this road, and barricading the road from either side will help contain the spread of coronavirus,” he explained.
The decisions since start of the lockdown, partial lockdown, lockdown type restrictions have been stupid and laughable, shopkeepers said. “We expect serious governance and not decisions like in gully cricket, where rules are bent and changed at everyone’s whims and fancy,” said Thakkar.
Meanwhile, hawkers returned to Sitabuldi main road on Friday and were found hawking their wares.
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About the Author
Proshun Chakraborty

Proshun Chakraborty is a Senior Correspondent at The Times of India, Nagpur. He covers news on traffic, the zilla parishad, the district collectorate, the divisional commisionarate and fire control. His hobbies include surfing the net, reading and travelling.

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