Mumbai shopkeepers delighted at timing extension, hoteliers cry discrimination – Hindustan Times

Sunil Parmar, who owns a utensils shop at Parel, was relieved when he opened he his shop on Tuesday. Instead of having to shut down at 4pm, he can now operate till 10pm, according to the new guidelines issued by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) . “This 4pm timing was not feasible at all to run our businesses. In fact, there would be crowds at our outlets in the morning, which made it difficult to maintain social distancing. Now we will get some relief,” said Parmar.

As part of the Maharashtra government’s decision to partially lift lockdown restrictions, the Mumbai civic body, on Monday, allowed shops to open everyday till 10pm. Earlier, shops could be opened only from Monday to Friday till 4pm. Restaurants in the city have been allowed to remain open till 4pm everyday. Earlier, restaurants could be opened till 4pm only from Monday to Friday. The new rules came into effect from Tuesday.

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Like Parmar, thousands of shopkeepers in Mumbai heaved a sigh of relief as BMC relaxed the timings for shops till 10pm from Tuesday. However the decision has caused restaurant owners to cry foul, as they still have to close their establishments by 4pm.

“There is positivity among the shopkeepers due to this decision. Now we can operate our shops during our normal working hours,” said Mitesh Mody, who owns an electronic outlet at Lamington Road. “However, our main challenge is getting the workers to work as they live far off and they are not allowed on the railways,” said Mody.

Hotel owners, meanwhile, angry over this decision. “This is total discrimination. In fact, it is easy to adhere to Covid-appropriate norms in restaurants, but a picture is being created that we are spreading Covid-19, which is misleading,” said Shivanand Shetty, president, Indian Hotels and Restaurant Association (AHAR).

All Hotel Associations will hold a meeting at Bandra on Wednesday to chalk out a plan of action among fears that this will sound the death knell for the sector.

Most shops have been facing the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic from the last one year. Though they were allowed to reopen for a few months, they again had to face a shutdown due to the second wave. This has caused huge losses to them.