F.P. Report
PESHAWAR: The Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry President, Engineer Maqsood Anwar Pervaiz has asked the provincial government to fulfill its promise made with traders and to allow to open ‘phase-wise’ business and commercial activities under a concreate Standard Operating Procedure forthwith.
Addressing a meeting of small traders here at the chamber house on Wednesday, the SCCI chief said the traders community had been faced with enormous financial challenges due to ongoing corona-lockdown in the province, adding that coronavirus hit traders would unable to bear further economic and business losses amid the prevailing scenario.
He added the small traders and shopkeepers have compelled on hunger and starvation due to closure of bazaars, markets and trade hubs as precautionary measure to contain the spread of the novel Covid-19 (coronavirus).
However, the chamber president said that specified/limited industry was allowed to keep open their operation but the operational industries are being faced with number of difficulties due to shut down of bazaars, markets and trade centres.
Maqsood Pervaiz called upon the government to take pragmatic steps to give relief to coronavirus hit business community.
He furthermore maintained the traders are not against lockdown but atleast the government should materialize its promises made with them and allow opening of bazaars, markets, shopping plazas and business centres under a holistic strategy and SOPs in order to overcome financial issues poor small traders and revive the economic and business activities as well, he asked.
SCCI chief witnessed the business and commercial activities had adversely affected by ongoing prolonged corona-lockdown, adding that the small industrialists and traders are the worst affected under the current circumstances.
He demanded of the government to waive-off all taxes, electricity and gas bills of traders, besides to not collect additional surcharge in utilities bills. He called upon the federal and provincial governments to devise a comprehensive economic roadmap to revive the coronavirus-hit economy and to give relief to traders’ community on practical grounds.
