Rajasthan govt suspends trade license fee in Jaipur; Traders call off protest

Jaipur: The Rajasthan government has taken a U-turn on the trade license fee issue a day before the Jaipur traders threatened to keep the markets shut against this. Welcoming the government’s decision, the traders postponed their agitation. The legislators and political leaders from the BJP as well as the ruling Congress rallied behind the traders, calling the trade license fee a burden on the business community in the wake of the Covid-19 situation.

The trader license fee was suspended in an order issued by the Local Self Government Department of Rajasthan. The traders had announced that markets would remain closed in protest of the fee in Jaipur on Saturday.

The order states that the department has received requests from several traders associations not to impose the fee when most businesses are struggling due to Covid-19. “It seems appropriate to postpone the implementation of the license at the present time,” the order says. Reports have been sought from both Jaipur Greater and Jaipur Heritage Corporations.

Traders associations have now withdrawn the decision to shut down Jaipur on September 11. Traders’ organizations have said that in view of the increasing pressure of traders and the call of Jaipur Bandh on September 11 by the business organizations, the state government has issued an order suspending the implementation of the license fee issued earlier. Therefore, after this decision of the government, the business organizations have withdrawn the call of Jaipur Bandh on September 11.