Durga Puja: Online sales and malls seal fate of local businessmen

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Gone are the days when buyers treading nose to tail down the street at Fancy Bazar in Guwahati on the eve of Durga Puja and Rongali Bihu. In the changed market scenario in the state with the advent of shopping malls and online sales, all roads for puja shopping do not lead to Fancy Bazar. This phenomenon is also the case in other urban areas of the state, a situation that has made small-time local traders bear the brunt.

Nowadays, before every festive season, e-commerce online portals enjoy the leverage to spread messages in the form of reductions and offers through their web-based channels and get the better of the traditional traders in the field. The mushroom growth of shopping malls in Guwahati and other urban areas in the state has provided a new market atmosphere for buyers. The potential buyers mostly rush to online markets or shopping malls, bypassing the local traders. The sales of such traders are on the decline. Online shopping by buyers from Assam is a sheer example of money draining out of the state, as are the shopping malls that have owners from outside Assam.

Gauging the gravity of the situation, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has appealed to the people of the state to make the local businessmen smile in the run-up to the Durga Puja by rushing to their outlets for shopping. On this issue, the Chief Minister wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Being vocal for local and supporting local businesses are crucial in attaining our goal of Atmanirbharta. As the Puja festivities are fast approaching, I urge everyone to shop from your nearby stores, support local businesses, and bring a smile to the faces of our traders and entrepreneurs”.

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