Administration lifts ban: Fatak Bazar, New Market to operate again from today

For flouting social distancing and lockdown protocols, all shops operating in Fatak Bazar and Newmarket area were asked to remain shut. On May 22, the office of the Deputy Commissioner of Cachar issued an order asking all shops to remain closed.

It read, “I, Keerthi Jalli, IAS, District Magistrate, Cachar do hereby promulgate the following U/S 34 of Disaster Management Act,2005. All shops and business establishments will remain closed in Fatak Bazar and New Market area.”

That order becomes ineffective starting today. The administration informed yesterday that from May 31, all the shops and business establishments in Fatak Bazar and New Market area can reopen again.

As India moved from Lockdown 4.0 to Unlock 1.0 the government wants the country to cautiously crawl towards normalcy. Reviving the economy is as important as keeping the state healthy. Additional deputy commissioner, Sumit Sattavan had mentioned during one of his press briefings that the administration wants the business establishments to operate as many employees depend on them. “It is not only the owners who benefit when the shop remains open, the employees probably win bread for the whole family by working at shops as employees. We have nothing against the shops but we need to ensure that the social distancing norms are followed or else we are bound to take actions,” Sattavan had explained.

While Fatak Bazar and New Market are allowed to operate again, the administration made it clear that if the shops are overcrowded and the social distancing norms are not followed, actions would be taken against them again.