Weddings, trade hit amid tension

Archit Watts
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, October 18

The prevailing tension in the state has put those planning marriage functions during the ongoing Navratras in a quandary. Many such people are either thinking of postponing the function or taking very few people in “baraat”.

Karan Kumar, a local resident, had invited about 250 guests for the wedding of his brother at Kotkapura on October 15. However, due to the road blockade and tension, they solemnised the wedding with just 30 persons.

Further, the hopes of the traders, who was expecting a good business during the festival, too have been dashed with markets wearing a deserted look. “Earlier, due to the damage to crop, our business was hit and now, the prevailing unrest has increased the losses,” said a local businessman.

The situation could affect the investors’ summit on October 28 and 29 in Mohali, said some local industrialists, citing road blockades and protests. A local industrialist said that the state government should postpone the event or the summit would be a “flop show”. “What will we showcase to industrialists when people are so angry that they are sitting on roads? How will the state government claim that it is safe for industrialists to invest in Punjab?

“In such a situation, no serious investor will come to participate in the event. Only those industrialists will come who have taken some obligation from the state government,” said an industrialist. Sources said the protests might continue for a few more days.

Courtesy: The Tribune