india

Updated: Apr 25, 2020 19:32 IST

The shop owners in Gurugram’s Sadar Bazar on Saturday seemed confused even after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs issued a clarification on its order allowing the opening of shops amid the lockdown imposed to contain Covid-19.

Ajit Jain, a toy shop owner at Sadar Bazar said, “We got to know that shops in the city had opened. We came to open the shops but the police administration said that the shops cannot be opened.”

A cosmetics shop owner, Yashpal Chauhan said, “Four-five police personnel came to my shop and asked why I had opened the shop. They also asked me to come to the police station, and took things from my shop.”

Another toy shop owner Rohit Aggarwal said, “We had come to open the shop early in the morning after we got to know about the order. But the police personnel did not let us open the shop saying that it is fake news and that there is no such order.”

According to the Home Ministry, “In urban areas, all standalone shops, neighbourhood shops and shops in residential complexes are allowed to open. Shops in markets, market complexes and shopping malls are not allowed to open.”

And in rural areas, all shops except those in shopping malls are allowed to open.

“The shops in areas which have been declared as containment zones by respective States/ UTs, will not be permitted to open in rural or urban areas,” added the ministry.

The Ministry has also clarified that sale of liquor and other items continue to be prohibited as specified in the national directives for Covid-19 management.

The order further states, “It is clarified by the ministry that sale by e-commerce companies will continue to be permitted only for essential goods.” (ANI)