region is yet to formally decide its stance on bandh call. Nag Vidarbha Chamber of Commerce (NVCC), the region's largest trade guild representing over 1.25 lakh businessmen, has traditionally been backing the statehood demand.
Meanwhile, Nagpur Chamber of Commerce Limited (NCCL), a relatively smaller organisation has sent letters to its members urging them to take part in the agitation.
Even though NCCL is an older organisation, it has only around 6,000 members and is limited to Nagpur. NVCC is an umbrella association of 120 trade guilds spread all over the region, with 66 in the city itself. Though it has its affiliation in major trading localities, a large number of retail shops in residential areas are out of its ambit.
There are chances that shops in Sitabuldi area may remain shut as an office-bearer of the merchants' association there said they would totally support the bandh. NVCC has held a number of bandhs protesting value added tax and other economic issues which has seen a good response among members from wholesale markets.
NVCC's president Hemant Khungar said, "it would be premature to comment over this trade body's stance at present. The traders are, however, otherwise geared up for the agitation. We may hold a meeting in 2-3 days."
B C Bhartia the national president of Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), to which the NVCC is affiliated, had a similar stance. Bhartia, one of the former presidents of NVCC, said, "as far as the bandhs we organised were concerned, these were preceded by a number of smaller meetings among traders. However, at this point we haven't held any meeting. The views of associations in other districts will have to be considered too." However, he added that the trading fraternity was fully convinced that only statehood could spur economic growth of Vidarbha.
Vijay Agrawal of Sitabuldi Merchants Association said his guild will totally support the bandh but a meeting to formally decide over the issue was yet to be held. This association which covers shops in Sitabuldi main road, Mahajan Market and Abhyankar Road, is also affiliated to the NVCC.
Meanwhile the NCCL claims that its members would extend full support to the bandh call. Like NVCC, NCCL is also an umbrella body of various trade associations. "The member associations include those engaged in the wholesale business of steel, hardware, clothes shoes, builders as well as the hotel and restaurants owners," said NCCL's secretary Tejindersingh Renu.
Vilas Kale, the president of Vidarbha Economic Development Council (VED), said a circular would be issued to its members to support the bandh.
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