Synopsis
Traders, however, sought to defy the curbs on the argument that about half the businesses were operational using the ‘essential’ tag and e-commerce companies had the full freedom to sell even non-essential items through the partial lockdown.
Trader unrest is brewing across Maharashtra, where only shops selling essential items are allowed to remain open. Barring Pune and Mumbai, traders tried to open their shops on Monday, but the police ensured that such outlets were again shut. Shop-owners argued that web-commerce firms, allowed to operate through the curbs, had an unfair advantage.
However, at places like Kolhapur, shops selling non-essential items remained open, reportedly due to the support of some elected representatives.