Farmers Movement Archive

Shopkeepers and traders at Singhu border hope to resume business

NEW DELHI: Shopkeepers and traders at Singhu border say they will be happy to see the protesters leave so that they can resume their businesses. Around 3pm on Friday, Shripal was seen sitting inside his truck accessories shop, but there were no customers. “For the last one year, my business has been suffering. I used to earn Rs 5,000-10,000 daily, but now my sales are a mere Rs 400-500 per day,” he said. Shripal said he would welcome any decision that would end this protest and the farmers leave the border. “My family is dependent on the shop,” he added. Dinesh Kumar was seen standing inside a car accessories shop and talking to other shopkeepers. “I used to sell ice cubes and slabs earlier, but after the protest started I lost my customers. It is a welcome step by the Prime Minister as it will help us in reviving our business,” he said. Shyam Singh, who works in a cloth store near the protest site, said, “If the roads are opened, then the public will come to our store to purchase clothes.” A few meters away from the cloth store there were small garages. In one of them, Dinesh was playing cards with the mechanics and other shopkeepers. “I remember there was a time when we were extremely busy handling customers, selling oil and repairing vehicles. Now, we have hardly any work, so we spend time playing cards,” he said. “In the past one year, I had only heard that various meetings were going on and some solution would come to end the stir, but nothing happened. How can I believe any announcement now? I have also heard that the farmers will continue their stir till the government scraps the laws in Parliament,” added Dinesh. Other garage owners and mechanics said the situation would change for them the day the protesters leave the border. Satender Singh, a petrol pump owner, said he was suffering loss since the agitation began. Asked whether he was happy with the government’s decision, he said he would be happy only when his business picked up.

The Times of India

2021-11-20

Delhi