The reason behind Sunday lockdown logic has started making the rounds, with the government extending the lockdown period since April, notwithstanding the total shutdown every Sunday.

While the impact of such initiatives, aimed specifically at curbing the spread of the deadly Covid-19 seems minimal, the total shutdown every Sunday has over the weeks become a point of debate, and some even dismiss it as absurd.

The neighbourhood kirana store for instance (particularly those functioning in the front portion of the shop keeper’s home) has customers calling right through the day. There are quite a number of such shops, in every locality, attending to the beck and call of customers in the vicinity. People’s dependence on the neighbourhood store has only swelled in the last couple of months.

However, as shops and industrial establishments had pulled shutters, the streets looked deserted but there was no obvious restriction of movement - either of people or private cars/ scooters.

Asking the logic behind the lockdown on Sundays, an industry insider said that it was proving to be quite costly, as a good number of engineering units worked overtime to complete an order and Sunday therefore was crucial. “When we commit to deliver a machine/ tool on Monday, we have to ensure that everything is in order; invariably, be it Sunday or otherwise, the last couple of hours are crucial. This forced closure is posing a huge problem in continuous process industry,” said Raveendran, owner of a micro unit.

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW