Lockdown stifles Eid festive business in Dehradun

DEHRADUN: Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations have turned out to be a low-key affair for local traders in Dehradun this year as the ongoing Covid-19 lockdown is preventing shoppers from venturing out and with the economy in doldrums, fewer people are willing to spend.
Mohammad Yamin, a local trader who deals in wheat vermicelli, told TOI, “My sales have reduced to a mere 10% of what they used to be during Ramzan in previous years.”
Traders of religious skull caps, prayer mats, prayer beads, vermicelli and other products, which enjoy good sales during Ramzan, have been severely hit due to the restrictions and the dip in the enthusiasm of shoppers.“I convert my eatery, near Inamullah Building, into a vermicelli shop every year during Ramzan but the supply from Delhi didn’t come this year, and I lost the opportunity to earn some profits from festive shopping,” said Yamin.
City traders claimed that the festive business was further hit due to the several orders issued by the district administration regarding opening of businesses which “confused both the shoppers and the shopkeepers.” “For some time, there was confusion prevailing. We didn’t know on which day we are supposed to conduct business,” said a local perfume seller.
Meanwhile, several Muslim residents have decided to celebrate this year’s Eid by helping the needy in the neighbourhood rather than shopping exorbitantly. “We have decided to distribute sanitisers, gloves, and face masks among our “Corona Warriors” like police personnel, sanitation workers, doctors, media workers, and others,” said Arif Khan, a local resident.