BHOPAL: Opening his electronics store after two months turned out to be a nightmare for Rahul Saxena. Rodents had cut the wiring and even destroyed several devices in his shop. This is a scene that has been spotting across multiple stores across the state capital since the unlock began.
Such is the situation that several traders have decided to postpone the reopening of their stores for the next few days. “What would we do after we opened the store? I don’t know how much damage these rodents did to my shop, ”Rahul said.
The situation is similar in grocery stores. “Today I opened the shop and closed it again immediately. Rodents either used up the grocery store or destroyed it in such a way that I can’t sell it now. I have no choice but to throw everything, ”said Ramratan Shrivastava.
Many shopkeepers are now resorting to anti-rodent pills to keep the rats away, but the losses suffered have yet to be assessed. “The losses in my shop seem huge. I need to assess the exact damage, but I think rats destroyed at least 50% of the products, ”said Girish Shukla, an electronics store owner.
Several shopkeepers fear that their products will be useless as the shops have been closed for over two months. “I run a candy store. Rodents have wreaked havoc and whatever is left is useless, ”said one shopkeeper, Gopalnath.
Even those who run tea and samosa kiosks have suffered losses. “I won’t be able to start business for the next 15-20 days. Most of the raw products are eaten by the rodents. Since I don’t have enough money, it takes several days before I can go back to work, ”said Vikram, owner of a tea stand.
