UP may lift 'closure order' on Reliance Fresh outlets

Lucknow, Sep 5 (UNI) The Uttar Pradesh government has hinted to lift the 'closure order' on the Reliance Fresh retail outlets soon.

State cabinet secretary Shashank Shekhar Singh said here that all the issues relating to the retail industry and the closure of the Reliance outlets are being looked into, and a final decision could be taken in next two to three days.

The state government on August 23 had ordered the closure of the retail outlets of Reliance following the targeting of the stores by the traders' organisations affiliated to the Opposition Samajwadi Party in Lucknow and Varanasi.

Lucknow, in fact, was the only centre where the Reliance Fresh outlets were opened on August 22. But they were shut down on government's orders the next day. District Magistrate (Lucknow) Chandrabhanu said the stores were closed for 60 days by him using his powers under Section 144 of IPC.

The cabinet secretary also said the obstacles to be faced by the retail companies in procuring the agriculture products directly from the farmers in the wake of the roll back of the Ordinance for amending the 'UP State Agriculture Produce Marketing Board' were also being looked into.

He said the issue would be worked out in next 20 days and decision would be announced positively within September. The ordinance, besides providing for the contract farming, also allowed the retail companies to sources the agriculture products directly from the farmers outside the mandi yard anywhere in the state under a unified license issues by the state agriculture marketing board.

Chief Minister Mayawati while announcing the closure of Reliance stores had also constituted a high level committee headed by the Cabinet Secretary to study the feasibility of opening retail stores and study all issues related with the retail industry.

The committee was asked to submit its report within a month.

CM had then said that the state government will permit the opening of new retail stores only after examining each proposal. CM then stated that the government decided to close down the retail store opened by the Reliance and other companies in Varanasi and Lucknow following the incident of ransacking of the store which caused a law and order problem in those cities.

The Reliance retail has been left high and dry as UP government still sticks to its decision to close down Reliance Fresh stores in the state even as the industry and farmers have urged the Mayawati government to reconsider the decision.

UNI