On the day the goods and services tax came into play across the country, a majority of cloth shops in Gujarat remained shut while those who kept it open said they did not carry out any business transaction.

Various cloth merchant associations in the state as well as in some other states had earlier called for a three-day protest across the country from June 27 to 29.

The bandh and protests continued in different parts of the state as a majority of shops remained closed today, and those which remained open saw no transaction as none had any GST number.

There are around 2.5-3 lakh cloth merchants in the state who will suffer losses due to the ongoing protest, said Gaurang Bhagat, president of Maskati Kapad Mahajan, an association of cloth merchants in Ahmedabad.

“Not that we are against GST. What we are saying is that government should listen to our concerns and address it properly. Our business will remain suspended and we hope government will come out with some solution,” he said.(Agencies)