Amazon’s Unfair Advantage During Lockdown – Terming it a disaster for the local trade industry, several traders’ associations have opposed the decision taken by the Union government to allow Flipkart, Amazon and other e-commerce firms to start delivery of non-essential products such as mobiles, refrigerators, garments, etc in the country from Monday.
The organisations have expressed concern over the possibility of the spread of coronavirus through delivery of products.
Leaders of different associations rued that local traders have stored a large number of products before the lockdown and are expecting to sell the products after the lockdown period was over.
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They said, “As the local traders are already reeling under losses, the crisis for them will deepen further as the demand for the products will decrease with the supply of non-essential products by e-commerce companies during the lockdown period. This step will also defeat the purpose of the ‘Make In India’ initiative of the Union government.”
President of the Punjab Chapter of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) Harkesh Mittal said, “If e-commerce companies started the sale of non-essential goods, then the local trade industry would witness its impact in the coming time.”
Mittal said the CAIT will also take up the matter with the Union government and demand withdrawal of the decision.
President of the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal Arvinder Singh Makkar said apart from impacting the trade industry adversely, the decision might also contribute to the spread of the deadly virus.
A Delhi incident, wherein a pizza delivery boy, was found corona positive and 72 families had to be quarantined is a recent example.
