Delhi traders to observe voluntary lockdown for one more week: CAIT

Traders in Delhi will observe voluntary lockdown for one more week to assist the government in bringing down the Covid numbers, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said on Saturday.

Accordingly, more than 100 leading associations from all parts of Delhi have decided to observe 'Voluntary Self Lockdown' from April 26 April to May 2.

In a virtual meeting held on Friday, CAIT urged Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to extend the current six-day lockdown, scheduled to end at 5 am on Monday, for one more week.

"The lockdown is going to get over at 5 am on April 26. The trade leaders at the conference said that considering the present deplorable situation of medical facilities and the rising number of Covid cases in Delhi, it will be appropriate to continue the closure of shops for one more week from April 26," CAIT said.

"During this time, it is hoped that the government will be able to check the extensive spread of coronavirus, besides augmenting the medical facilities in Delhi. If the government does not take such a decision for any reason, the trade associations of Delhi will observe a week's voluntary self lockdown from April 26 to May 2," it added.

According to CAIT, the call for the self lockdown is purely voluntary and if any association wants to open the market, it will be free to do so.

"However, during the self lockdown, the supplies of essential commodities will be maintained as usual as per the Covid guidelines of the government," the traders' body said.

Besides, CAIT has also urged Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to waive the GST on oxygen, which is 18 per cent at present.

The national president of CAIT, B.C. Bhartia, said that in view of the oxygen shortage in Delhi, the trade associations have decided to procure oxygen concentrators in good quantity and given them to the people in need.

In addition, the traders' body said that it will soon form a Plasma Bank where the names of the people who have recovered from Covid will be enrolled with their consent to be plasma donors, and any one requiring plasma will be able to contact the donor directly.

--IANS

rv/arm