Amid the deadly effects of the second wave of the Corona pandemic, night curfew is in force in Gujarat till May 17 and the government has ordered business establishments to remain closed during the day. Shops and manufacturing industries of essential commodities have been kept running in a limited manner. In this sequence, the textile industry, an important component of Surat’s economic activity, is closed these days. Especially all the textile markets in the city are closed. Traders have mixed opinions about this ban.
While FOSTA, the largest and accepted organization of the textile markets, has supported the closure of the market on the instructions of the local police and municipal administration, the small traders organizations or the representatives of the newly active Chamber of Commerce in the affairs of the textile industry, Efforts have been made to keep a demand in the administration towards keeping the markets running for a few hours a day.
FOSTA has always followed the policy of the administration. Well, he doesn’t have any other option. There is no other option before anyone else. When the government has imposed an undeclared lockdown at the state level itself, and everyone knows how deadly the epidemic has been in the state, then there is no question of raising voice in front of the government. The way Corona has killed many families in cities and villages, two-four weeks of captivity is also common.
At the same time, an attempt to go against FOSTA is also emerging that various market associations should offer to open their markets before the police and municipal administration at their own level. That is, remove the different markets from under one umbrella of FOSTA and divide them separately. Will more than a hundred textile markets go in front of different administrations like this? Will the administration listen to so many delegates or will it be practical?
Suppose that even if the demand for opening the markets for a few hours is justified, then who said that the administration would give the green signal just by paying the demand? Looking only at the demands and conveniences of the textile market, they do not make policies during the pandemic. The first priority of the government is to save the lives of the people and no matter what you offer, the markets will open only when the night curfew is relaxed from Gandhinagar and the decision to speed up business operations during the day time when the cases of corona are less. The core committee will be able to take decisions on the corona issues of the state.
The ban imposed in the last two weeks has also had an effect. Corona cases have decreased. But it was not enough that people started understanding the situation as normal. Currently around 800 daily cases are coming in Surat. These are definitely less than 2000 cases per day, but during the first wave Surat used to have between 200-250 cases daily. That is, the current 800 new cases of corona are more than the daily figures of the first wave. Not only this, the variant of the virus seen in the second wave of corona is more deadly than the first wave.
In such a situation, after a complete review of the situation, the government will take a decision in the public interest as to when to relax the controls. From when to open the textile markets partially or full time. It is not in the hands of FOSTA or any other organization to take this decision. Nothing is going to happen if anyone wants it or not. No matter how much formality someone keeps on giving the memorandum or letter.