Bengaluru's wholesale cloth merchants suspend trade with Turkey, Azerbaijan
Bengaluru, May 17 (PTI): The Bangalore Wholesale Cloth Merchants Association (BWCMA) has decided to cease all import and export of textiles to and from Turkey and Azerbaijan, with immediate effect, citing their recent "support" for Pakistan in the wake of 'Operation Sindoor'.
The BWCMA have declared their unanimous decision in this regard.
"This collective action has been taken after careful deliberation and in alignment with our commitment to ethical business practices, national sentiment, and the interests of our trade community. As responsible stakeholders in the textile trade sector, we believe it is essential to take principled stands when necessary," BWCMA President Prakash Pirgal said in a statement.
"Accordingly, all our members have agreed to: halt all current and future import of textile goods from Turkey and Azerbaijan, cease all ongoing or planned export activities to these nations, and refrain from engaging in any indirect trade through intermediaries or third-party countries that may involve textile products originating from or destined for Turkey and Azerbaijan."
This resolution will remain in force until further notice, and any revision will be communicated officially through the Association's governing body, he said.
"BWCMA is an association of about 3,000 wholesale shops across Bengaluru. Our trade with these countries runs into crores of rupees, a lot of cloth materials come from there and also get exported," Pirgal told PTI, without sharing any actual figures.
He said, "These two countries have openly supported Pakistan following 'Operation Sindoor'. We stand with the Government of India, the country comes first. Remember when there was an earthquake in Turkey, India acted as a first responder to the unfolding humanitarian requirements there, but they have stood by Pakistan, which sent terrorists to kill our people."
The BWCMA has requested all concerned authorities, trade partners, logistics providers, and relevant stakeholders to take note of this declaration and co-operate with its members in ensuring adherence to the decision to suspend trade.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
