Traders body opposes odd-even scheme for Delhi markets

New Delhi, December 29

Traders’ body CAIT on Wednesday wrote to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, terming the ‘odd-even’ scheme for shops impractical and called for markets in the national capital be divided into various zones to open at different timings for smooth conduct of trade.

In its letter to Baijal on the Covid restrictions in Delhi, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) claimed that the “restrictions announced so far have been announced in haste without having a discussion with traders and other stakeholders of Delhi”.

Contending that traders of Delhi have suffered huge losses in last two years and are running into great financial crunch, CAIT argued that smooth conduct of trade may be kept in mind while deciding restrictions.

“In particular we would like to mention that the ‘Odd-Even’ scheme is not practical and extremely irrelevant. In fact it only causes extreme inconvenience to the public at large,” the traders’ body observed.

With regard to the Odd-Even scheme, it argued that if consumers want to purchase two different products and those goods are dealt with by shopkeepers having odd and even numbers, the consumers will have to visit the market on both days.

“Instead of curbing the movement of the people, it only causes people to move out more frequently,” CAIT stated. —PTI