New Delhi: Amid a sharp rise in the number of coronavirus COVID-19 cases in the country and the national capital, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Friday sought the opinion of its members on the issue of keeping the markets in Delhi open.
A communication has been sent to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Health Minister Dr. Harshvardhan, Delhi L-G Shri Anil Baijal and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal sharing the concerns of the traders in the city and sought time for a meeting to apprise them about the seriousness of the issue while urging for their immediate intervention, the traders association body said in a statement.
The CAIT sought opinion from 2800 trade associations anbd prominent trade leaders of Delhi out of which 2610 responses were received.
Following are the percentage of response against specific questions:
* Do you think that coronavirus is rapidly increasing in Delhi? As many as 99.4% people said 'yes'.
* Do you feel that since markets are open coronavirus will spread in markets? As many as 92.8% people said 'yes'.
* Do you think that medical facilities in Delhi are available sufficiently to meet demands of coronavirus patients? As many as 92.7% people said 'no'.
* Are you worried about the spread of coronavirus in markets? As many as 96.6% people said 'yes'.
* Do you favour closure of markets to stop coronavirus spreading among traders or their consumers. As many as 88.1 % people said 'yes'.
Meanwhile, CAIT has convened a video conference of Delhi's prominent trade association leaders on Sunday afternoon where the survey report will be shared and a decision will be taken about the closure of Delhi markets. The decision will be shared with the media around 3.00 pm on Sunday.
Adding to the problem of rapidly rising number of infections is the slow business which is at around 5% to 10%, Praveen Khandelwal Secretary General of CAIT said.
"Our intent is to co-operate with the governments and join the efforts to curb the rise of Covid-19 cases in Delhi," he added.
CAIT expressed its view on the current situation in the country calling it 'alarming' and 'serious' and wished to consult the government to join hands to effectively combat COVID-19.
