Noida Authority's weekly off policy upsets traders

Noida: The District Magistrate, Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, Gautam Buddh Nagar on December 18, 2021, has issued weekly closure days of shops, companies, and markets for the year 2022. This would apply in the urban areas, towns and countryside of Gautam Buddh Nagar including parts of Noida and Greater Noida. The DM has ordered to implement this order with immediate effect.

Under the new order, different days of the week have been allotted for closure in different areas and markets of the district, while multinational corporations and corporate offices have been ordered to stay shut on Sunday.

The traders shared that if their market is closed on one day while the bigger multinational outlets are open in malls, it will naturally encourage the customers to go to the open shops. Thus, they would lose their customers.

Also read | Noida markets to follow new weekly offs

The market association of Sector 18, Noida, where shops have been ordered to remain shut on Tuesdays has opposed the direction, claiming losses to retail traders.

Sushil Kumar Jain, President of Sector 18 Market Association says, “ If this closure is applicable, then it must apply to all kinds of commercial activities whether it is market or malls. All should be closed. If some markets are closed while other markets and malls are open, small traders will have to bear unnecessary losses."

Manish Tripathi, a resident of Greater Noida says, "This order is an inconvenience for customers also. As customers, not all of us are aware of the weekly off schedule.  Also in some markets, we find some items comparatively cheaper so this may impact us."