Aurangabad, Oct 18:
The mobile recharge business has plummeted due to the lockdown. Before the lockdown, mobile companies were earning Rs 3 crore from recharges in the city. Now, despite unlock, the business has come down to Rs 1.5 crore. As a result, nearly 400 recharge shops in the city have closed due to lack of customers.
Four months have passed since the state government started unlocking the markets. Still the economic turnover in city markets has not returned to normal. Citizens are giving priority only for necessary spending. This impacted several businesses including mobile recharge business. There are about a thousand people involved in mobile recharge business in the city.
In the past, the business in the city was around Rs 3 crore per month. After unlock, this business has come down to Rs 1.5 crore. A shopkeeper who used to have an average daily turnover of Rs 15,000 now has a turnover of only Rs 6,000. As many as 400 traders have closed their recharge centers as they can''t even afford shop rent.
4 out of 8 companies remain
In the past, there was fierce competition among 8 mobile companies in the market. Now 4 small companies have merged into big companies. Mobile companies launched portability services. If a customer moves from one company to another, he is being offered free service for at least three months. So the customer is moving from one company to another. Sheikh Azim, a businessman, said that this has had a big impact on the mobile recharge business.