Textile traders keen to open wholesale shops

Madurai: The Tamil Nadu textile merchants’ association has urged the Madurai district collector to allow them to open wholesale shops, from 10pm to 5am in the city, as they are heavily stocked and are facing losses.

In the representation made to the district collector, Asraf Tayub, secretary of the association, said that Madurai is the textile hub for the southern districts in the state.

As it is the month of Ramadan, they had stocked up before the lockdown period. Tayub said that Madurai has over 1,000 wholesale shops.

He added that following the lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19, many traders are facing losses and said that only if the shops, which are standalone, open up, they will be able to overcome these losses. He said that they had assured the collector that they would deal only with wholesalers, which would be a small group and they would ensure that all the communication is done through phones.

“We also sell material used for making masks, bedsheets, pillow covers and this is also in demand and if the shops are closed, the manufacturers would face a shortfall,” he said.

These merchants said that they have come to know that many small textile shops in places like Chennai, Karaikudi, Tirunelveli and Nagercoil are open and operating and hence, they want similar permission from the Madurai district administration.

Madurai district collector Dr T G Vinay has assured them that their grievance would be taken to the Tamil Nadu government.