TURA: Traders in Tura have never had it so good in previous Christmas sales. This last week, before the biggest celebration in Garo Hills, has literally left them with empty rooms as their consignments of garments, shoes and decorations have been going off the shelves like hot cakes.
This surprising boon in business has partly been thanks to the internet shutdown that took place last week. A gap of almost ten days without mobile internet services has hit online shopping in a massive way for companies.
Consumers in Garo Hills are known for extensively shopping online, but the internet services’ disruption following the violence over CAB (now CAA) across the state pushed the public to look elsewhere for shopping.
A sizeable chunk of consumers managed to make it to Guwahati for purchase of gifts and personal items for Christmas. But the biggest number targeted the Tura Super Market and the Bazar India shopping mall in the town.
Traffic jams have been widespread at both locations.
The general post office, DTDC and Flipkart counters witnessed the lowest footfall this season.
“We have been delivering only those items ordered during the first week of December. Nothing new has come since internet was cut,” lamented a delivery team with one of the online companies in Tura.
From mobile phones, electrical items to clothes and shoes, it has been a damper for online companies while, on the other side, Tura market has witnessed a windfall.
All those weeks of dry days in sale have been blown away by the sudden boom in business.
Even the Bazar India mall at Nakham Bazar road, which registered a marginal sale last year, has seen a dramatic transformation this time round. Cars have been parked on both sides of the road almost entire days as shoppers go through its floors purchasing items ahead of Christmas.
Ministers, eager to get home in time for Christmas, have also been caught in traffic snarls due to the huge number of shoppers out on the roads.
Meghalaya Home Minister James Pangsang K Sangma was also caught in a jam at Ringrey market on Monday as dozens of vehicles had to move at a snail’s pace due to the overwhelming number of cars on both ends of the road.
The release of two months’ salaries for over one thousand employees of Garo Hills Autonomous District Council by the government, this week, has added to the flutter of activity in the malls and shops of the town. For many employees, it has been some relief as they get to purchase warm clothes for their children in time for Christmas.
