We pay most tax, but other cities get better treatment: Mumbai retailers

After the civic body decided to keep the unlock level unchanged at 3 despite improved test positivity rate TPR restaurant owners and shopkeepers are raising their voice against the move Businessmen have argued that they are being made to suffer despite paying high taxes for the entire year and having high overheads such as rent salaries etcA restaurant in Matunga readies to open on June 7Mumbai is currently eligible for a Level 2 relaxation but the corporation decided to not implement it considering the size of the population and congestion Under Level 3 relaxations shops and restaurants are allowed to operate till 4 pm and nonessential shops are to be closed on Saturday and Sunday ldquoNeighbouring cities and other major cities have already given more relaxations as compared to Mumbai However Mumbai has the highest taxes overheads rents salary etc then why do traders restaurants and malltheatre operators have to sufferrdquo said Viren Shah president of the Federation of Retail Traders Welfare Association FRTWAAlso Read Why do hawkers get to operate if we are made to shut shop Retailersrsquo associationHe demanded that the BMC should at least allow them to operate for two more hours and relax the weekend lockdown Shah pointed out that on one side the BMC has not given relaxation to shops on weekends and on the other hawkers are operating in violation of social distancing and Covid19 protocolsldquoIt is unfair that despite the city fulfilling the criteria for Level 2 we are expected to continue operating at Level 3 For restaurants 80 per cent of the business happens in the evening and on weekends Yet we are not allowed to operate in these prime hoursrdquo said Sherry Bhatia president Hotel and Restaurant Association of Western India HRAWIFRTWA said that even as shops selling nonessentials have to stay closed hawkers are operating without social distancing PicsFRTWABhatia added that additionally they are expected to pay excise and other licence fees for the entire year when the government itself is not allowing them to open for business ldquoKeeping a restaurant open only during the day translates to more expenses than revenue We request the CM and the BMC to save restaurants and bars from this danger and allow us to operate till at least 11 pmrdquo Bhatia saidlsquoUnburden us of taxes billsrsquoldquoWe are doomed this time around if we are not allowed to operate at least till 11 pm We request the government to do justice to restaurant owners staff and their families Take care of the salaries Unburden the owners of property tax waive off the statutory fees and excise license fees donrsquot generate electricity and water bills until the industry becomes completely operational again We understand that the government has to take measures but itrsquos coming at a cost that we just canrsquot bear anymorerdquo said Pradeep Shetty senior vicepresident HRAWIAsif Jivani sells purses and luggage bags at his shop in Raghuleela mall Kandivli He said ldquoWhile standalone roadside shops have got permission to open till 4 pm on weekdays our shops are yet to get any relief Our union has approached the CM deputy CM and the municipal commissioner through Twitter email and other digital media but there has hardly been any response from themrdquoA Ghatkopar West trader opens his shop for business on June 7 File picKishor Kulkarni secretary of the Chembur Merchant Association said ldquoWe can understand the governmentrsquos concern and donrsquot ask for 100 per cent relaxation We can manage with Level 3 relaxations but we should at least get two to three more operating hours Sixty to 70 per cent of our business happens over weekends How will we surviverdquo He added that despite shops being closed roads are crowded by hawkers but the civic body is turning a blind eye to them and enforcing strict rules only against shopsldquoWhen the government imposed a lockdown it was a blanket ban Now at the time of opening it declares some yardstick BMC wants to be in Level 3 in the name of crowds on roads which is their responsibility to manage People gather at roadside markets not in shops We will manage crowds and follow Covid19 protocols which is our responsibility Similarly the government should take responsibility and fulfil its duty than imposing curbs only on traders We need the CMrsquos intervention before the economy is damaged furtherrdquo said Mitesh Mody president All India Electronics AssociationHe suggested shifting all roadside markets and vendors to nearby open grounds or to municipal schools to avoid crowds on roads11 pmTime till which restaurants want to operate daily2 HrsTime extension in operating hours demanded by retailers