Traders wear black bands, black masks and black outfits to express dissent 

Mysore/Mysuru: Weekend curfew at a time when COVID cases are on the decline is unscientific. Also when more than 50,000 people are allowed to gather at K.R. Market in Bengaluru, imposing restrictions on business in Mysuru is a regressive move and displays lack of concern and application of mind by policy-makers, opined the business community of the city.   

Traders under the banner of Federation of Organisations and Associations of Mysuru staged a protest in key business areas of Central Business District this morning against weekend curfew. They sported black bands on their forehead, wore black masks, T-shirts and fully-black outfits to register their protest. 

The Federation had called for a protest yesterday through social media to “observe weekend curfew under protest” and the call received good response from traders of D. Devaraj Urs Road, Vinoba Road, Shivarampet and Santhepet. The Police had given one hour to the agitators to protest and they had to wind up by 11.45 am. As part of the weekend curfew, only essential services and shops were open till 2 pm while the rest of the businesses were shut. 

Gathering in front of shops and assembling at many places in the business areas, traders lamented that there was no one to hear their appeals and many representations have fallen on deaf ears. “All the borders are open with only name-sake restrictions. In Bengaluru K.R. Market, more than 50,000 people congregate daily. The State Government has not imposed any restrictions there but is singling out Mysuru and also Kodagu,” they alleged. 

“We have submitted a memorandum to the Chief Minister asking him not to re-impose curfew during weekends as we are already suffering from several problems due to the prolonged COVID-19 lockdown since March 2020. Problems have worsened by the weekend curfew,” said Federation President  B.S. Prashanth. 

President of Mysore Travels Association C.A. Jayakumar said that if the COVID cases are really on the rise, the traders would openly cooperate with the administration. “We have fully cooperated in the past. All classes of traders, businessmen and industrialists have suffered. The case positivity rate is low in Mysuru and there is no need for curfew and lockdowns,” he noted. 

Traders have favoured the sealing of borders and said that they were also willing to accept a night curfew instead of a weekend curfew. “Mysuru being a tourist and business-centric destination after Bengaluru does not have a local Minister to boast of and we have a Tourism Minister who is not at all interested in his portfolio. The present District Minister has repeatedly and consistently assured us that weekend curfew would be lifted. But nothing has been done,” lamented Federation Vice-President C. Narayanagowda, who is also the President of Mysuru Hotel Owners Association. 

Federation office-bearers M.R. Rajaram (President, Mysore Film Exhibitors Association), K.R. Sathyanarayana (President, Mysuru Choultry Owners Association), D. Srihari (President, Yoga Federation of Mysuru), S.K. Dinesh (President of Mysore Petroleum Traders), K. Ajit Narayan (President, Builders Association of India, Mysuru Chapter), V. Veerabhadra (President, Devaraj Urs Road Traders Association), A. Sudheendra (President, Mysuru Pharma Forum) and R.N. Ramesh (President, Mysuru Textile and Garments Merchants Association) were present.