Non-essential shops to stay shut in Chandigarh till May 3

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 25

The UT Administration has ruled out opening of any non-essential shop in the city.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has allowed all shops registered under the Shops and Establishment Act to open. The relaxation, however, does not apply to the city since it has been declared a containment zone to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

UT Adviser Manoj Parida said, “The Central Government has decided that non-essential shops and commercial establishments will not be allowed to open in the containment zones. Since the entire city has been declared a containment zone, the exemptions available to other states could not be given to the UT residents.”

He stated that the Centre had instructed banks and financial institutions to provide certain relief to industries, who have taken loans from them. Parida stated that factories, plants etc could not be permitted to operate in the containment zone as per the Central Government guidelines. He said the Centre would review the situation on May 3 and convey appropriate directions regarding relaxations, if any, to the UT.

UT Administrator VP Singh Badnore, along with the Adviser and the Director General of Police, will attend video-conference by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. The Centre is likely to make major announcements after the video-conference.

What to open

Shops selling groceries | Milk and bread | Fruits and vegetables | Egg, meat and fish | Chemists | Flour mills

To be closed

Dhabas, restaurants and fast food outlets | Liquor vends | Mobile repair shops | Hair salons and parlours | Shops selling clothes, shoes, cosmetics, electrical items, hardware and sanitary | Sweets shops | Auto mechanics, automobile showrooms | Property dealers | Malls, cinema halls | Photo studios