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The city is slowly limping back to normal during the blockade of 4.0 with major relaxations in place of non-containment areas for the resumption of business, however, the shop owners are preferring to down their shutters before the 7 p.m. deadline.
The Municipal Corporation of Pune (PMC) has given permission for non-essential stores to operate in the non-containment areas between 7 am and 7 pm, but there are many who prefer to close before 4pm, either due to the instructions of the police officers or on their own.
Pune municipal commissioner Shekhar Gaikwad admitted that the administration has been receiving complaints from shop owners about their establishments be asked to close before 4pm. “I’ve been getting at least four to five complaints every day, and I go to the police commissioner for the appropriate action.”
Owner of Ramesh Supermarket, a grocery store, off Pune-Satara road, said that while the PMC order clearly states that the shops stay open until 7 pm, officers of the police ask them to close the shop for the afternoon. “We’ve been closing our store at 3pm according to the order of the police officers.” The owner, however, refused to share his name.
As Satara road, where the more essential and non-essential shops, except medical stores close before 4pm despite the fp7 end, the scene is no different in NIBM road.
Commissioner of police K Venkatesham said that the orders are clear. “No one is going to close stores unless you want to close your account. If you ask them to close their shops early, you can claim the number 100 or the DCPs. The shop owners can also communicate with us in 89752 83100, that is the control room WhatsApp number.”
There is, however, a mixed response in the greater part of Kothrud, where the shops are open until 7 pm on the main streets, while the establishments in the internal roads close for the afternoon. Gift items and clothing store owner in Paud road, Ramesh Parmar, said, “I can keep my shop open from 10:30 in the morning to 7 in the afternoon, but I don’t have many customers these days.”
The market in Paramhansnagar in Kothrud still wears a deserted look as most of the shops are still open. “I feel like I’m starting my business from scratch, again. Shops around my establishment is still open,” the owner of a car repair center, said.
Fattechand Ranka, president of Pune Vyapari Mahasangh, however, puts in perspective the other reason that the shops prefer to close before. “The main reason why the shops are closed by law enforcement officers at 5 pm is because the employees working in the respective shops need to get home before 7 pm as there is curfew. If you keep working until 7 in the evening, how are you going to get home before the curfew starts?”, said Ranka.
In Baner, that has had a very less number of Covid-19 areas, life back to normal as most of the shops are open until 7 pm.
“It’s good to see other stores from opening, as it keeps the roads busy and the charm of Baner road is going to come back,” owner of Jayshree grocery store, he said.
“I wanted to buy a scarf from a shop situated in Karve road which was at 11 am. However, I already had two shopping bags and I decided to purchase the scarf in the night at 5 in the afternoon, but when I returned, the store was closed, Other shops were also closed,” said Pranita Wagh, who is staying in Karvenagar.
The early closure of the stores may not be in line with the PMC of the proposal to extend the public movement more and more until 11 pm. During a meeting with the deputy first minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday, the PMC commissioner said that the curfew relaxation can be extended until 1pm after May 31, the blocking of 4.0 ends. “We’re going to decide for the government to publish the 31 of May,” said Gaikwad.
