Excelsior Correspondent
KATHUA, Apr 7: The shopkeepers dealing with essential commodities in Kathua town have shown their serious concern after the administration closed all the chemist, grocery, milk and vegetable shops since yesterday and did not allow them to open today also despite the fact that the Government has kept the essential services above the purview of lockdown.
This morning a group of Chemists called on DDC Kathua, O P Bhagat and apprised him of the problems being faced by the people suffering from various ailments for want of medicines. They told him that they have been receiving many phone calls from the masses in this regard. However, DDC informed them that he has not ordered the closure of shops dealing with essential services and asked them to contact SSP Kathua as police deals with maintenance of law and order.
After the delegation met the SSP, Kathua he informed them to meet SHO, Kathua and he will sort out the issue. On meeting SHO he informed them that the shops will be opened and allowed chemists shops to open in the afternoon. However other shops dealing with groceries as well as vegetables etc were not allowed to open. The milk sellers were allowed to open the shops for some time in the morning and later they too were closed by the police.
The administration’s decision has generated a lot of resentment among the shopkeepers dealing with essential services as the administration did not disclose the timing for opening the shops as has been a practice in other districts of the UT.
However when this correspondent talked to SSP Kathua, he said the shop opening time selection is the work of civil administration and police has to only enforce the lockdown.
This has led to a great confusion among the business community especially dealing with essential commodities.
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