PESHAWAR              -            The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce
and Industry (SCCI) has termed the provincial government’s
decision to close grocery stores and shops at 4 PM as an economic murder of traders. He asked the authorities concerned
to fix timings for opening
of markets and shops in consultation with traders’ community
in order to avoid further financial losses to the coronavirus-
hit traders.While chairing a meeting here at the chamber house on Monday,
the SCCI chief Maqsood Anwar
said the decision to close shops at 4:00pm has multiplied the miseries of lockdown-hit traders, which is completely unjust. The move is not acceptable
to them, he said and urged the government and authorities concerned to implement the decisions
and policies by making consultation with the chamber, traders’ bodies and associations, so as to avoid any confrontation between the local administration
and traders, and enforce orders
with letter and spirit.In the meeting, the FPCCI former
president, Ghazanfar Bilour, SCCI vice president Shahid Hussain
and Jalil Jan, former presidents
of the chamber, Riaz Arshad, Haji Afzal, Adeel Rauf, Anjuman-
e-Tajaran Peshawar chairman,
Shaukat Ali were present.Maqsood said the traders could no longer afford any lockdowns, adding instead of closing the shops earlier, the government should open businesses
in a phased manner with strict SOPs to contain coronavirus.