Kovai jewellers upset over vehicle checks

Traders, who heaved a sigh of relief  after the Lok Sabha elections on April 18, are upset as checks by flying squads have commenced again in Coimbatore ahead of the Sulur bypoll on May 19.

Though polls have been announced only for the Sulur Assembly segment, multiple teams of the Election Department have intensified their vehicle checks across the district. Besides Coimbatore, the Sulur Assembly segment also encompasses 12 wards from Samalapuram Town Panchayat that falls in Tirupur district. There are 16 polling booths in these wards. Hence, the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in force in the whole of Tirupur district too causing inconvenience to the textile traders. It is mandatory to carry documents while carrying cash of over Rs 50,000.

“What is the purpose of carrying out raids and making seizures in areas located far away from the Sulur constituency,” said B Venkatraman, president of Coimbatore Gold Jewels Manufacturers Association (CJMA). “Our business was dealt a severe blow during the Parliamentary polls when we witnessed just 20 per cent of the regular business. Orders and sales, which picked up over the last few days, has slumped again due to the renewed checks,” he added. The jewellers have decided to petition district collector K Rajamani on Thursday, urging him to relax the checks.