Permission for holding trade fair irks shop owners
From Our Correspondent
TURA: Several hundred shops in the heart of Tura bazar will remain closed for an indefinite period of time unless the district administration of West Garo Hills withdraws permission allegedly given for the holding of a trade fair in the police parade ground with immediate effect.
Traders under the Tura Super market Traders’ Association, the District Council Shopping Complex, and the general traders union of the market have decided to down their shutters for a day on Friday as a sign of protest.
However, the traders will go for an indefinite period of closure beginning from Monday onwards unless the government halts the upcoming trade fair in the parade ground.
The Tura traders are unhappy with the district adiminstration for giving permission for such fairs to be held just around the time of Christmas season. They claim that people flock in large numbers to the trade fairs to purchase various items and in the process the Tura shops lose out on customer sale.
“Why are such fairs held at this time of the year? Why can’t it be held during another season? Innocent customers are easily duped by traders who come for a brief period of time to sell their items and where is the guarantee of the products?” questioned a shopkeeper from Tura super market complex.
It is a known fact that for most part of the year the shops of Tura market, particularly garments and shoes, have a dry season. It is only during the Christmas season that people throng the market to purchase various items and the traders make a killing selling their products.
With the holding of trade fairs around the same time a chunk of their sale gets affected as consumers are not reluctant to try out new products that are on offer at the trade fair.