Thaindian News

Kolkata, Dec 1 (IANS) Trade and business was crippled across West Bengal Thursday as retailers and wholesalers shut shop to protest the central government’s decision to allow 51 percent foreign direct investment in multi-brand retail.

The city’s business hub Burra Bazar, regarded as one of the largest wholesale markets in Asia, wore a deserted look with all shops and commercial establishments downing shutters to join the all-India strike by the trading community on the issue.

Emergency services like pharmacies and hotels which had boarders have been kept outside the purview of the strike.

Taraknath Trivedi, state general secretary of the Federation of Traders’ Organisations that controls over 50 lakh small traders, said the strike was “total and spontaneous”. “There has been no trading activity in Burra Bazar or any other market and even in the roadside shops.”

He said reports pouring in from the districts indicate a totally successful strike.

“This is just a token agitation. If the government does not heed our protest, we will launch a bigger agitation,” he said.

Attacking the government decision, Trivedi said: “The big foreign retail chains like Wal-Mart will initially buy the produce from the farmers at a high price and sell them to the consumers at a price lower than what we give. In this way, they will rob us of our business and force us to close down. Once they achieve their initial objective, they will dictate prices to the famers who will be forced to sell at lower prices.”

“Then these companies will sell the products to the consumers at a higher price and make big profits,” Trivedi told IANS.

Tapas Mukherjee, convenor of the Coordination Committee of Burra Bazar Posta Business Association, said small retailers do not get any assistance from the government and are forced to run their business on their own strength.

“But we pay all kinds of taxes to the government. How could the government take such a big decision without holding any discussions with us?”