Bharat Bandh Updates: Demonstrations are expected to take place across 1,500 towns and cities.
A nationwide shutdown has been called by top traders' body - the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) - over rising fuel prices, the Goods and Services Tax and the new e-Way bill, a permit associated with the movement of goods. Around 40,000 trade associations have extended their support to the shutdown call, protesters have said.
Various markets in the national capital remained open on Friday during the bandh called with many saying that despite supporting the cause, they did not want to suffer another day of losses.
President of Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) Brijesh Goyal, said most of the markets in Delhi were open but the associations have extended their support to the bandh.
Here are the highlights of Bharat Bandh:
Business Unaffected In Indore During Bandh
Business remained unaffected in Madhya Pradesh's business capital Indore on Friday during the ''Bharat Vyapar Bandh'' called by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) to protest issues related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and e-commerce.
According to local traders, businesses had already incurred losses due to the COVID-19-induced lockdown and they didn't want to down their shutters.
The nationwide bandh had impacted other parts of Madhya Pradesh barring Indore, where political reasons and pressure made the difference, CAIT district president Mohammed Peethawala said.
"We have been registering our opposition over the GST's anomalies since long. But we are not in support of a bandh on this issue right now," said Ramesh Khandelwal, the president of Ahilya Chambers of Commerce and Industries, a federation of traders' bodies.
Many Market Associations Support Bandh But Keep Shops Open In Delhi
Various markets in the national capital remained open on Friday during the bandh called by traders' union with many saying that despite supporting the cause, they did not want to suffer another day of losses.
President of Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) Brijesh Goyal, said most of the markets in Delhi were open but the associations have extended their support to the bandh.
"Around 98 per cent markets, hotels, restaurants and industrial areas were open except in some parts of Chawri Bazaar and Karol Bagh. However, they have extended their support. We also held a protest at Kashmiri Gate around 12.30 pm," Mr Goyal said.
Confederation of All India Traders has called for a nationwide strike today in protest against rise in fuel prices & new e-way bill and GST; latest visual from Birbhum in West Bengal.
Confederation of All India Traders has called for a nationwide strike today in protest against rise in fuel prices & new e-way bill and GST.
Lastest visual from Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
- A nationwide shutdown has been called by top traders' body - the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) - over rising fuel prices, the Goods and Services Tax and the new e-Way bill, a permit associated with the movement of goods. Around 40,000 trade associations have extended their support to the shutdown call, protesters have said.
- Demonstrations are expected to take place across 1,500 towns and cities, the association said.
- The All India Transporters Welfare Association - top body of India's road transport sector - will also join the protest and hold road blockades across the country.
- Farmers' unions, which have been agitating against the three contentious agricultural laws, have also expressed solidarity.
- "Harassed by the complicated GST rules, eight crore traders and 1 lakh transporters will join Bharat Bandh today as a mark of protest against distorted GST," the CAIT said in a tweet last night, demanding simplification of the tax. "The tax is neither 'good' nor 'simple'," it said in one of the posts on Twitter.
- Commercial markets are also likely to remain shut as the All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation - the representative body of four lakh distributors - has also joined the shutdown.
- Transporters body AITWA has demanded scrapping of "regressive" e-way rules, which it says "mandates impractical compliance from transporters".