Cheeka marble market sees 25% slump in biz

Parveen Arora

Karnal, February 22

The blockade of the Haryana-Punjab border at Tatiana has cast a shadow on the well-known Cheeka marble market, situated near the border.

Marble traders are grappling with challenges as the protest is likely to continue. The blockade of the border has led to disruptions in transportation from the Punjab side, reducing business by around 25 per cent. They have demanded the government to resolve the issue and open the border.

“Due to barricading at Tatiana border, customers from Punjab are not able to reach the marble market, leading to a significant downturn in business,” said SP Jindal, a trader. The market was already struggling with reduced customers, but the barricading had aggravated the situation, as even customers from Haryana were hesitant in visiting the market.

During the last farmers’ agitation, they had to face a similar problem, he said. Besides, due to the floods in Ghaggar, the market remained closed for over a month last year.

Earlier, there were around 100 dealers operating within a 3-4 km stretch near the Haryana-Punjab border, but due to the opening of marble outlets in various districts, some shops had closed. Now, nearly 70 dealers were operating here, said Jaswinder Kundu, another trader, adding that “uncertainty looms over how long this slump will persist as the opening of the border soon is unlikely.”