Situation might improve from weekend as companies have paid bonus
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: The trade community in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is facing a 50 percent decline in business during the Diwali season. Traders have stocked up goods worth crores of rupees, but customer flow has been reduced due to the drought and protests.
This year, there was a lack of rainfall in the region, leading to water shortage in October. This has made traders skeptical about whether customers from rural areas will come to the city for shopping. The Maratha reservation stir has also caused an uproar in the state, with roads being closed and ST buses being suspended. This has stopped the arrival of villagers from rural areas. Traders are hopeful that the situation will improve in the coming days.
Revenue of lakhs fell to thousands
As a result, the turnover in the market has fallen from crores to lakhs. Many traders who used to record a turnover of lakhs of rupees are now recording a turnover of only Rs 10,000, said Ajay Shah, senior vice president of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
Business might improve from Friday
Companies have paid bonuses to their employees and there is a holiday in the industrial area on Friday, so there is a chance that there will be a large crowd of customers coming out for shopping. Additionally, with ST buses starting to run again, customers from rural areas may also start coming to the city for shopping, said Shivshankar Swami, general secretary of Zilla Vyapari Mahasangh.