Lahore, Pakistan: The provincial government of the Punjab province in Pakistan is yet to take a final decision on implementing the federal government's latest austerity measures, with the business community opposing the proposed early closure of markets, Dawn reported on Sunday.

According to Dawn, citing a senior Punjab government official, the provincial administration had held three rounds of discussions with traders on the issue, but the business community remained unconvinced about the proposed restrictions. “We, so far, have conducted three sessions with the traders to discuss the matter. But they (the traders) are not agreed on this and they asked questions about the benefits of fixing the timings of markets since the businesses are already disturbed due to the overall economic situation,” the official told Dawn.

According to the official, traders questioned whether reducing business hours would actually provide any financial or fuel-saving benefits at a time when businesses were already facing difficulties. “When we and our businesses are already in trouble, how the fixation of early closure timings at this crucial time will benefit the businesses. Will it help save costs and conserve fuel? No,” the official quoted the traders as saying during their meetings with provincial government representatives, as reported by Dawn.

The official said consultations with traders would continue before the provincial government reaches a final decision. “But the discussions with the traders on this issue will continue in the coming days to reach a final decision,” he added. The debate in Punjab follows the federal government's decision on Thursday to introduce a fresh set of austerity measures aimed at conserving fuel and reducing costs amid disruptions to oil supplies caused by the conflict in West Asia.

Under the federal measures, shopping malls, markets, departmental stores and grocery stores were directed to close by 9 pm (local time). The government also reduced fuel allocations for official vehicles to 50 per cent, with exemptions for the armed forces, civil security institutions and law enforcement agencies, as reported by Dawn.

However, traders in Punjab have questioned whether earlier closing hours would result in meaningful fuel savings. “During the meetings, the traders said the fixing of closure timings will not help save fuel costs, as the people will continue visiting the markets for eating and other purposes. So, they were of the view to better not enforce the restrictions as done by the federal government,” the official said.

The official also pointed to uncertainty over fuel prices, saying prices had been fluctuating on a daily basis, which was contributing to uncertainty within official circles. Punjab had previously introduced a series of cost-cutting measures in March this year, including restrictions on market timings. Some of those measures were revised in May, when gyms and other businesses were exempted from the restrictions.

While provinces had announced austerity measures simultaneously at that time, Punjab has yet to finalise its response to the federal government's latest restrictions, as reported by Dawn. The provincial government had earlier set operating hours for commercial markets, shopping malls and wholesale and retail shops, allowing them to open from 9 am to 10 pm from Monday to Saturday. On Sundays, these businesses were permitted to operate from 2 pm to 10 pm.

Restaurants, hotels, coffee shops and other eateries were allowed to remain open until midnight from Friday to Sunday and until 11 pm from Monday to Thursday. Home delivery services were permitted to operate until 2 am. Businesses exempted under the April notification included medical stores and pharmacies, hospitals, laboratories, petrol pumps, CNG stations, milk shops, tandoors and puncture shops, as reported by Dawn.

In May, additional exemptions were introduced for sports facilities, gyms, IT companies and call centres. The Punjab government is now weighing its next step amid continued consultations with the business community. “Let see what happens in the coming days, as we will finally take a final decision in light of more discussions with traders in the coming days, keeping in view the situation,” the official said, as quoted by Dawn. (ANI)