KATHMANDU, Sept 23: The business people of New Road are worried because there is no business as expected even during the festive season.
The traders of Kathmandu's Ason and New Road areas are disappointed due to the lack of business as expected even in the face of Dashain and Tihar festivals. Ason and New Road markets, which used to be jam-packed with customers last year during this time, are mostly empty at present.
Though there are some activities, traders complain that it is not as expected. They say that there used to be no space to walk in New Road due to huge crowds of customers but now there are very few customers this year. After the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses have not flourished well. Also, the Nepali people have not been able to celebrate their festivals properly due to the pandemic. This year, although the impact of COVID-19 is less, daily life has again become chaotic due to dengue infection.
Business of sugar less even in festive season
While the Dashain festival is approaching, dengue patients are increasing day by day across the country. As a result of this, people are not seen in the market. In addition to this, online shopping has also made an impact on the market and decreased the number of people who buy and sell goods by physically being present.
Dinesh Shahi, a clothing store owner in New Road, says that the movement of customers in the market may have decreased due to the poor economic conditions of the common people due to COVID-19. He said that compared to previous years, there is less business this year.
Uddhav Dhungel, who sells shoes and slippers in New Road, echoed the same concerns. He shared that due to the lack of business as expected, he is facing difficulties to pay the shop rent. He said that in the past years, there was no walking path in New Road, but this time the road seems quite empty even during the festive season. He mentioned that he had brought goods thinking that there would be business, but now he seems to be in trouble as there are limited customers.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic and the rising cases of dengue, people are not going out to the market to buy goods. In order to attract customers, the traders have offered discounts on various goods, however, there are very few customers.
