BENGALURU: Even as the government is yet to take a decision on permitting New Year celebrations on Brigade Road, members of the Brigade Road Shops and Establishments’ Association have already made up their mind.
There will be no celebrations this year on New Year’s Eve. Giving priority to the health and safety of people, with a surge in the Omicron variant, the association has let go of the traditional practice of lighting up the street, which used to start from as early as December 15.
Suhail Yusuff, Association secretary, told TNIE that celebrations were not permitted last year. “This year, we have decided not to have any celebrations. Usually on New Year’s Eve, business is dull but crowds are huge. So this time we have decided that shops will close 1-2 hours prior to the usual time, to ensure there is no crowding,” he said.
Normally, commercial establishments on the street see a 20-50 per cent rise in sales during the year-end. Footfall would rise by 50 per cent during the last week. However, members of Bangalore Trades Association (BTA) of shops and commercial establishments on MG Road are not a part of the restrictions. Srinath P, BTA president, said that all precautionary measures are being taken, but no restrictions are being imposed by commercial units at the moment.
Similar was the opinion of members of Bangalore Commercial Association. Sanjay Motwani, president of the Association, said this time of the year is a good shopping season. No restrictions are being placed, but the street will not be lit up either. This is not just for Covid-19 but also because of the ongoing delayed Smart City works. So it has been decided to put up lights for Pongal, falling in January.