SCCI wants business activities on weekends

PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) has expressed reservations over the notification about the closure of businesses on Saturday and Sunday and asked the government to allow trading on weekends.

Chairing a meeting of trader community here at the Chamber’s House on Thursday, SCCI President Sherbaz Bilour said the restriction to close trade and commercial hubs, including bazaars, wedding halls and markets by 8 pm and suspension of businesses on Saturday and Sunday would worsen the situation.

Besides, SCCI senior vice-president Engineer Manzoor Elahi, vice-president Junaid Altaf, office- bearers to different trade bodies and bazaars unions in a large number were present during the meeting.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has notified the closure of markets on Saturday and Sunday in nine Covid-hit districts of the province, including Peshawar, Peshawar, Mardan, Nowshera, Swat, Kohat, Charsadda, Swabi, Malakand and Lower Dir districts.

However, medical stores, general stores and other basic necessities shops will remain open on all days.

Sherbaz Bilour urged the government to avoid taking anti-business steps and relax rules/policies to flourish trade and economic activities. He emphasised that the business community should be consulted before implementing the policies.

Terming the new Covid-19 restrictions as anti-business and economic murder of traders, the SCCI chief said the KP government had issued a new notification to close all commercial activities, establishments, markets and amusement parks on Saturday and Sunday except for essential services under a new guidelines after resurgence of the Covid-19 cases in the provincial capital.

He called upon the government to withdraw the new Covid-19 restrictions, imposed on the businesses to save them from further losses.

The SCCI chief said the traders had suffered immense financial losses during the previous lockdown. He said the small traders would suffer if the new standard operating procedures were not relaxed.

Sherbaz Bilour expressed the fear that if the government didn’t review its decision, the business community would face further financial debts and would be forced into starvation.

He added that business needed relief measures from the government in taxes, interest rates, loans and utility charges, not new curbs which would multiply their miseries.

Sherbaz Bilour demanded that a special fiscal relief package should be announced to revive businesses and economic activities instead of the close running businesses by imposing new restrictions.

He said the new guidelines should be withdrawn forthwith to save the business community from financial losses.