Traders in Siliguri have demanded the withdrawal of the weekly closure of markets that was enforced as part of measures to contain the spread of the Covid-19 infection.

The traders under the banner of Brihattara Siliguri Kuchra Babsayee Samiti (BSKBS), an apex body of different business organizations and market committees of Siliguri and adjacent areas, said they have requested the administration to take back the rule, now that the Covid situation had eased a bit.

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The administration had in July asked markets to close once every week on a rotation basis due to the high positivity rate of Covid-19 in the Darjeeling district. The closure day was utilized to sanitise the market places.

“According to the directives of the administration, all the markets are closing once a week on a rotation basis for sanitization since 27 July. We feel that the Covid-19 situation in Siliguri is under control with a range of steps taken by the administration and health department to break the chain of infection and contain the disease.

Traders have incurred huge losses in the past one and half years due to the Covid-19 induced situation. Therefore, ahead of Durga Puja, the biggest festival in our state, we have requested the administration to lift the weekly closure order in different markets and allow shops to remain open regularly.

The markets will, however, follow the Covid protocol,” said the general secretary of the organization, Biplab Roy Muhuri. Mr Roy Muhuri said 52 markets under the Siliguri Municipal Corporation(SMC) had been following the order.

Health experts tracking the Covid-19 trend have said the current positivity rate was around three-four per cent in the district. The positivity rate is a measure of the number of samples that test positive out of all samples tested in a day.

The BSKBS has written to district magistrate S Ponnambalam and civic body commissioner Sonam Wangdi Bhutia about the issue. Mr Ponnambalam, meanwhile, said they would hold discussions with the traders. “We will have a discussion with the traders and take a decision considering the present Covid-19 situation. The festive season is approaching, which is important for the traders,” he said.