Oct. 21: Traders in the city claim to be incurring losses in crores after increasing attacks on the fraternity are prompting many to down shutters a couple of hours before time.

“Business is down by 50 per cent. There are around 43,000 retailers in the city and the estimated loss of all the retail shops in the city will be in hundreds of crores. Many are forced to close their shops early, any time between 7pm and 8pm, as we are apprehensive of the impending danger given the increasing attacks on the fraternity,” All-Guwahati Traders’ Association general secretary Prantosh Roy said.

Siddhartha Kalita, who owns Jew Restaurant at Zoo Road Tiniali, is a worried man.

The restaurant, which till the other day throbbed with life around 8pm, hardly has any customers at that time these days. He is left with no other option but to down shutters early. “I used to keep the place open till 10pm or 11pm. After the rising incidents of crime, I close down at 8pm. Once it becomes dark, the number of people visiting our restaurant declines. Who knows who will be the next victim?” said Siddhartha Kalita.

Shops at Beltola, Kahilipara, Zoo-Narengi and Khanapara are the worst affected.

“These are vulnerable areas, as most of the streets here do not have lights. Streetlights are there on the main roads but in the bylanes we have to live with the darkness,” said Roy. “The rates of trade licences were revised and it was increased by 25 per cent. Guwahati Municipal Corporation has not provided us with basic amenities like streetlights and drinking water in many market areas,” he added.

The association today submitted a memorandum to Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner Ashutosh Agnihotri.

“In our memorandum, we have asked the administration to provide traders with life and property insurance, Rs 10 lakh compensation to the families of the victims, to arrest the criminals at the earliest, make intelligence agencies more efficient, installation of streetlights in market areas and others,” said Roy.

“The administration will make earnest efforts to take the traders into confidence after the recent incidents. The members of the traders’ association stressed the role of thana-level citizen committees and we will try to make such committees more active. The police will have to tighten security in problem areas. Besides, the GMC, on its part, has to take adequate measures to provide more streetlights and other facilities in the market areas,” said the deputy commissioner.

City jewellers Sanjoy Basak and his elder brother Ashutosh of VIP Road were attacked at Kahilipara on October 10 night. Sanjoy died in the attack while his brother received bullet injuries. Another businessman, Pankaj Sharma, was seriously injured when two criminals shot at him in Panbazar while Sharma was returning home from his electrical goods shop on October 17 night.