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The Centre’s permission to neighbourhood shops and standalone stores to operate in the lockdown period is a sweeping one, and covers outlets in shopping complexes that cater mostly to locals, but a final decision on the matter vests on States, a government official has said.
This means that while it will be the District Magistrates (DM) who will take the final call on allowing stores to open in the districts under their jurisdiction, the Centre has permitted all stores to function barring those located in shopping malls or large shopping centres that attract people from all over the city.
“If one reads the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) order carefully, it is clear that permission has been given to all shops in a neighbourhood to function. There cannot be any legal definition for neighbourhood stores. Common sense has to be used for the interpretation. All stores that do not have crowds milling in at all times can operate, as far as the Centre is concerned,” the official told BusinessLine .
This will include local marketplaces, where there are a series of shops offering various daily-need items, but which mostly cater to people staying in the locality and do not draw ‘outsiders’, the official explained.
Retail shops across the country, barring those selling food items and other essentials such as medicines, have had to down shutters since March 25 following the Centre’s lockdown orders. The lockdown was subsequently extended from April 15 to May 3.
Lack of clarity
Over the last two days, despite the MHA order allowing retail shops to re-open, shop owners from various localities have been complaining that they are unable to do so due to lack of clarity on what the order covered. With the Centre allowing most shops in the country to function again, the onus is now on State governments for correct implementation of the order, the official added. A lot will also depend on how far the pandemic has been contained in a particular area, he further noted.
The MHA decision on neighbourhood shops is part of the government’s exercise for a phased lifting of the lockdown, including manufacturing and trading, as the country struggles to cope with the Covid-19 crisis. While the MHA has decided to allow local shops to operate, the curbs on e-commerce companies stay on — they are allowed to retail only essential commodities.
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