Ponda: Around 30 per cent of the shops, particularly the smaller-sized businesses have opened in Ponda.

These include the typical ‘tea and bhaji’ shops that are only doing takeaway businesses with social distancing and are operating with minimum staff.

Many of them expressed their happiness that some amount of economic activity has resumed and lamented that the last month of the lockdown has been hard on them where they were not able to earn any revenue and yet had to make various payments. They are now hoping that soon business will return to normalcy.

At the same time, 70 percent shops remained close due to various problems like unavailability of labour, less stock or hardly any customers. Market sources said the low movement of public in the market is due to the restrictions on private buses and also on how many occupants can travel via private transport. Some of these shopkeepers added that they will continue to remain closed as it is not financially viable for them to keep their shops open in such circumstances.

They have also rued the fact that they and their employees have suffered during the lockdown. These stores included electrical and hardware stores and cloth stores.

It may be recalled that since Sunday, the Ponda Municipal Council has already shifted its market to the open space. PMC sources added that some vendors like fish vendors will also be provided such open spaces.

At the same time, motorcycle pilots, auto rickshaws and private buses have demanded a financial relief package from the govt.