Biz establishments seek deadline extension on vaccine diktat in Gujarat

State govt on Thursday came up with a directive for mandatory vaccination of owners and staff of enterprises in 18 districts by June 30, rest of the state by July 10

While many claim to be in advanced stages of vaccinating their staff, industry associations and small and medium business establishments are looking to negotiate the June 30 deadline of vaccinating the staff with the Gujarat government.

The state government on Thursday came up with a directive mandatorily vaccinating proprietors, owners and staff of business establishments in 18 districts by June 30 and the rest of the state by July 10. The directive affects retail and wholesale shops, restaurants and other business establishments involved in B2C activities.

However, several industry associations are of the view that the move, albeit well intentioned, is a bit too harsh and are seeking an extension on the same from the state government.

According to Gujarat Traders' Federation (GTF) president Jayendra Tanna, it won't be possible to meet the June 30 deadline, especially among unorganised establishments. With more than 700 small and medium trader and retailer associations associated with it, the federation represents almost 80 per cent of the roughly 1.2-1.5 million estimated traders and retailers in the state.

On its part, GTF has been proactively getting its retail and wholesale trader members vaccinated but mostly in places where there are organised players. "It is for the government to provide vaccination facilities in these places. We are supporting the government in its vaccination drive since this is not just a business cause but a social cause. But the way the government is going about it, it is unlikely there will be consensus on this," said Tanna.

Similarly, chairman of the hospitality committee of the Gujarat Chambers of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and president of Hotels and Restaurants Association of Gujarat (HRAG) Narendra Somani is hopeful of getting a deadline extension.

"Already, 60 per cent of the staff in the hospitality industry has been vaccinated. However, it is only recently that the industry is getting back on its feet. It will be difficult to vaccinate all staff in such a short time. We will be seeking an extension of the deadline," said Somani.

Tanna further stated that the government should take all stakeholders into confidence instead of adopting a tactic of threatening and penalising.

"We expect the government to take realistic steps. We will cooperate with the government and offer all help from the association. But we will also request the government to provide for the doses and vaccination infrastructure so that as many business establishments can be vaccinated," Tanna added.

Further, legal validity of such a directive of closure of establishments amid failure to meet the vaccination deadline is also being explored. "We need to see whether this direction has been given under which legislation the government has invoked powers. It also needs to be remembered that the Supreme Court has directed all state governments to constitute a task force on vaccination. The task force or the core committee will have some sort of discretion based on the expertise of its members," said senior advocate Anand Yagnik.

Meanwhile, while the directive only affects shops, restaurants and establishments directly involved with the public, the large and medium industries are exempt from the deadline and are vaccinating at their own pace.

"Industries are expected to vaccinate their staff at their own costs and the government has assured its support," said Ajit Shah, secretary of Federation of Industries and Associations (FIA) in Gujarat.