Business halts at Sowcarpet as traders allege harassment by GST officials
Wholesale traders and shops across Chennai’s Sowcarpet and parts of Broadway remained shut on Saturday as merchants observed a bandh to protest against alleged harassment
Wholesale traders and shops across Chennai’s Sowcarpet and parts of Broadway remained shut on Saturday as merchants observed a bandh to protest against alleged harassment by officials of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) department. The shutdown brought business to a standstill in one of the city’s busiest wholesale markets, with key commercial streets such as Narayana Mudali Street, Govindappa Naicken Street, known for its spices and groceries, and Perumal Mudali Street, which houses hundreds of shops selling glass bangles and cosmetics, wearing a deserted look. A one-day closure of shops in these areas would halt retail trade across Tamil Nadu as materials from here travel to even the remotest part of the State. Chennai’s Ritchie Street, the second-largest electronics market in India after Nehru Palace in New Delhi, also downed its shutters.
Ritchie street has over 1,500 shops selling various kinds of electronic goods. “Over the past two years, we have been facing several issues with GST officials. They pull out old bills, question us and demand money,” alleged traders in Sowcarpet. The Hindu spoke to more than 10 traders in the area, all of whom voiced similar concerns. “There is no system to verify the authenticity of a raid. They simply show an ID card, and nowadays anyone can create one. We are not against paying taxes. We just want a transparent system for conducting enquiries and a fair penalty mechanism,” the traders said. “Call us to your office for any questioning don’t barge into our work premises,” they added. Another trader, who is in the clothing business, said: “Many of us take business loans in our wives’ names because women are eligible for various government concessions and schemes.
If any issues arise during inspections or enquiries, we do not want the women in our families to face unnecessary difficulties.” While traders have alleged harassment by GST officials, some consumers and retailers said they too have longstanding grievances against businesses in Sowcarpet. “Most of the shops here do not issue bills unless specifically requested. The minute you ask for a bill, they will say the charges will be high. When the world is heading toward digital payments, shops here refuse to accept it. Also, shops here always levy additional charges for card transactions. If they are genuine, they should accept digital payments and cards,” a retailer from Tambaram who shops here regularly said. Many consumers took to social media and alleged that shops in Sowcarpet never provide bills.
The BriefWire