Stationery dealers in Nurpur feel Covid heat

Rajiv Mahajan

Nurpur, May 1

The Covid re-surge spelling doom to stationery dealers and private schools in lower Kangra areas comprising Nurpur, Jawali, Indora and Fatehpur. They had suffered heavy business losses last year due to the pandemic.

The stationery dealers, after the closure of schools, are doing very little business. Surinder Kumar, Subhash and Pravesh Mehra of Nurpur said they had incurred losses of 40 per cent to 50 per cent during the two academic sessions.

Joginder Kumar of Nurpur and Rahul Tuli and Vijay Kumar of Jassur, who deal in schoolbags, said the pandemic had spoiled their two-year business. “Before 2020, we did a roaring business in April and May but now we are virtually devastated,” they said.

The drivers and conductors of private school buses have been rendered jobless and the vehicles are lying idle on the school premises since the last session. Narinder Mankotia, president of the Fatehpur, Indora, Jawali, Nurpur Private Schools’ Association, said the government had neither waived taxes of private schools last financial year, nor this year despite several representations. He appealed to the Chief Minister to provide a relief package so that they could disburse salaries to the staff.