Sweet shops across Bengal can remain open from 8am to 4pm, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday, extending the earlier noon-to-4pm window.

The state government had earlier allowed sweet shops to remain open from noon to 4pm. The relaxation followed a letter from the traders, who had pointed out that closure of their units was leading to huge loss of milk.

“We have been getting feedback about poor footfall. So, we decided to extend the timings from 8am to 4pm,” the chief minister said at Nabanna.

Only around 25 per cent of the more than 9,000 sweet shops in Calcutta have been opening, according to the Paschimbanga Mistanna Byabasayee Samity.

“Hardly anyone comes to the shops in the afternoon. Most people go to the market in the morning and return home before noon, when the sweet shops open,” said Jagannath Ghosh, the secretary of the samity. “More shops are likely to open after the extension.”

The association had written again to the chief minister on March 31, complaining about lack of customers.

“The decision is welcome. It will allow us to consider opening our outlets,” said Dhiman Das, executive director of KC Das, whose outlets have remained shut so far.