By IANS
Lucknow : The Uttar Pradesh government’s order to shut down outlets opened by giant retail players seems to have singled out only Reliance Retail and will not effect other retail players like Spencer’s of the R.P. Goenka group.
The order nipped in the bud the operations of the Mukesh Ambani-led Reliance group within 24 hours of its opening 10 stores in the state capital here.
The order has prompted Reliance to suspend its plans to launch as many as 100 retail stores across India’s most populous state.
The official declaration on Thursday by Shailesh Krishna, the chief minister’s principal secretary, that the closure order would also apply to other retail players like Spencer’s was revised in a surprise move Friday.
“Since there was no law and order problem at the Spencer’s retail outlets, the government decision issued on Thursday would not apply to them,” Krishna told IANS Friday.
As late as late Thursday evening Krishna had told media persons “The closure order will not apply to Reliance operations in Noida and Ghaziabad since their stores are not confined to selling just fruits and vegetables.
“Therefore, is only the Reliance retail outlets that will face closure until a high-level committee constituted by the chief minister recommends their reopening,” he added.
While declaring her decision at a press conference Thursday, Chief Minister Mayawati also appointed a high-level committee under Cabinet Secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh to go into the pros and cons of the opening of Reliance retail operations in the state. The committee has been given a month’s time to submit its report.
Reliance Fresh stores were shut on account of “security concerns” and the closure was ordered on account of “apprehension of breach of peace” under the provisions of Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code that prohibits assembly of four or more persons at any public place.
Significantly, contrary to the official declaration that the government order would not affect Reliance Retail operations in Noida and Ghaziabad on the outskirts of the national capital, local authorities in both places got Reliance to roll down its shutters on account of “security concerns”.
No official was able to elaborate on the “security concerns” as no violence or even a loud protest was reported from either Noida or Ghaziabad on Thursday.
“We had opened our outlets in Noida and Ghaziabad Friday morning but the local police told us to shut shop as they apprehended breach of peace,” a senior Reliance official told IANS.
Small shopkeepers protested the opening of Reliance Fresh shops, claiming it would hit their livelihood.