This file photo shows down town Kathmandu bustling with buyers during Dashain last year.

September 29: With the big festivals like Dashain and Tihar just around the corner, the market by now should have been bustling with growing sales. However, due to the effects of Covid-19, the market has not seen much activity this year.

In previous years, half of the annual trade took place during Dashain and Tihar. But this year, traders say that even during Dashain and Tihar, sales of textile business are below 20 percent.

Ram Chandra Parajuli, treasurer of the National Trade Association of New Road, informed that despite the increase in people's activities in the market after the lockdown and restriction business has not increased as expected due to the decline in purchasing power of the consumers.

Even though public transport is open, traders from outside the valley have not been able to enter the valley to buy goods due to the risk of the virus.

Parajuli informed that the traders who once bought goods worth Rs 100,000 are only able to trade worth of Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000. The sale of footwear and clothes generally increases by almost 40 percent during Dashain and Tihar festivals but has now declined down due to Covid-19. Similarly, entrepreneurs also informed that the consumption of food grains used to rise during this time.