Sweltering heat hits business hard in two Rohtak markets

Ravinder Saini

Rohtak, June 3

After a little respite, the state is once again reeling under the heatwave and the scorching heat is adversely impacting businesses in the city. Shouri Cloth and Quila Road markets, two main commercial places in the city, have witnessed a drop of 50 per cent in their sales in the past fortnight.

Shopkeepers were hopeful about a boost in their business during the summer vacation, but customers are avoiding visiting the markets due to the hot weather.

According to traders, on an average, the sale goes down up to 20 per cent in the summer, but the figure has reached 50 per cent this time, with the region witnessing temperatures above normal in May.

Shouri Cloth, considered north India’s one of the biggest cloth markets, was established in 1951 and has over 1,200 wholesale and retail shops. The market supplies cloth to Rajasthan, Delhi, western Uttar Pradesh and across Haryana.

Similarly, Quila Road, one of the oldest markets in the city, has over 500 shops that sell cosmetic items, garments, footwear, utensils and other daily-use items.

“Both blistering heat and the Lok Sabha elections have taken a toll on the sale of cloth this summer. All shopkeepers wait for customers the whole day. Most of the customers turn up in the morning and evening, that too in small numbers. The scorching heat has reduced the sales,” said Parmod Sehgal, a shopkeeper at the Shouri Cloth market.

Vijay, a cloth merchant, said shopkeepers are eagerly waiting for the monsoon season as customers may not step out of their houses till the heat subsides.

Rajeev Malhotra, a member of the Rohtak Whole Sale Cloth Mercantile Association, said around 80 per cent of the customers who visit the Shouri Cloth market belong to rural areas.

“Customers residing in rural areas usually come to the market before lunchtime, but their number has gone down considerably due to the scorching heat. Though the summer impacts the sales from 15 to 20 per cent every year, this time, the impact is extreme,” Malhotra added.

Raghav Choudhary, who runs a readymade garment shop at Quila Road, said, “We never expected that the business will witness a major dip in the sales this time of the year.

“Only a limited number of customers are visiting the market and there is a possibility that many customers are preferring online shopping. This year, there are chances that our business does not grow during the summer vacation due to the scorching heat,” he added.

Bittu Sachdeva, former president of the Quila Road Traders’ Welfare Association, said people are visiting hill stations instead of going to the market. “Shopkeepers are passing through a difficult phase as the sales have reduced to 50 per cent,” he added.