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Traders' bandh dull, chemists' gung-ho

Confederation of All India Traders is protesting against mega deals like those between global retail chain Walmart and e-commerce giant Flipkart, which threaten to erase their business

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A closed market in Guwahati, Assam on Saturday
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A pan-India strike call by small traders saw tepid response in major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur and Ahmedabad on Friday, the same day when another bandh, called by pharmacists, had shops shuttered in Delhi and Ahmedabad.

While the Confederation of All India Traders is protesting against mega deals like those between global retail chain Walmart and e-commerce giant Flipkart, which threaten to erase their business, the All India Organisation of Chemists and Druggists (AIOCD) is protesting against draft rules issued by the Centre that legitimises online pharmacies.

In Greater Mumbai, roughly 95 per cent of the 7,500 chemists struck work, while almost all of the 3.5 lakh traders were operating normally.

The aggrieved merchants could not ensure success in the same measure as their medical counterparts, largely due to lack of grassroots outreach and coordination across cities.

Most of Delhi's prominent markets, from Connaught Place to Karol Bagh, stayed open as shopkeepers were unaware of any bandh call. "We do not want foreign direct investment to come to India. It will sound the death knell of small businesses. We hope the government understands our woes," said Tarun Gupta, a merchant in Karol Bagh.

Jaipur and Ahmedabad remained unaffected by the traders' bandh, which was the third of the month for the Rajasthan state capital.

In the meantime, some 45,000 chemists in Rajasthan remained closed, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 75-100 crore. In Gujarat, most of the 25,000-odd medical store operators participated in the bandh.

In the national capital territory, of the 14,000 registered pharmacy shops, over 10,000 remained closed.

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