05/06/2020
Covid – 19 Lockdown : Matunga Flower Sellers Seek Govt Help As Trade Collapses
Mumbai : The Flower Sellers Of Matunga Who Piled Their Trade Since 40-50 Years Are Witnessing A Record Downturn In Business Owing To The Prolonged Covid – 19 Lockdown.
Since March 25,Temples Have Been Closed And Festivals Muted,And Now With The Upcoming Ganeshotsav Under A Cloud , The 500 Families Who Subsist On This Trade Are In Peril . All Are Natives Of Tamilnadu.
Matunga Flower Shops Are Second Only To Dadar Wholesale Flower Market,Said Local Resident Ka Viswanathan Who Has Taken Stock Of This Trade.
The Lockdown Relaxation By The State Government That Allows Shops To Open On Alternate Days Will Not Help Them Either.
P Subbiah, President Of The 50-Member Strong Matunga Flower Merchants Association, Said “There Are 40-50 Shops And Nearly 500 Families Are Dependent On This Business .
Flower Have To Be Transported From Vasai-Virar And Also From Tamilnadu Either By Rail Or Road.Unless Tranis And Private Tempos Are Allowed To Restart , We Will Continue To Strave.Merely Keeping Shops Open Without Stocking Any Flowers Serves No Purpose.”
The Madras Malli And Bangalore Malli Flowers Come From Tamilnadu And Karnataka Respectively,While Rajamalli,Mogra Champa , Chameli And Marigold,Are Sourced From Vasai-Virai.Rail Transportation Is Yet To Restart While Road Transportation Remains Erratic.
Meanwhile Home Rentals , Shop Licence Fees And Electricity Bills Must Be Paid Although Income Has Dropped To Zero . Association Secretary S Arumugam,Who Runs Ayyappa Flower Shop , Said Each Shop Was Losing Rs 20,000 Per Day.”Police And BMC Ask Us Why We Want To Open Our Shops When All The Nearby Temples Are Closed,”He Said.
“Moreover,Banks Do Not Grant Us Loans As We Do Not Have Any Security To Give . Ours Is A Day To Day Business . We Pay Money To Buy Flowers Drom Dadar Market,”Subbiah Said.Arumugam Sought Mudra Loans For His Tribe And Appealed To Bmc To Waive The Licence Fee.
Subbiah And Arumugam Said,”We Do Not Know Any Other Work Expect The Flower Business . If Shops Are Not Allowed To Function With Steady Supplies , Our Lives Are Doomed . We Are Ready To Follow Social Distancing Norms But Please Allow Us To Function.
