Panipat: Members of traders’ associations, including cloth merchants and textile manufacturers, today started an indefinite fast against the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) near SD College on the National Highway-1 here.

Panipat: Members of traders’ associations, including cloth merchants and textile manufacturers, today started an indefinite fast against the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) near SD College on the National Highway-1 here. Thirteen members from 13 association remained on fast from 11 am to 5 pm.

Earlier, members of various traders’ association gathered at Amarbhawan Chowk and took out a protest march to the dharna venue near Sunil Handloom House on the National Highway-1.

Rakesh Chugh, president of the Chamber of Textile Manufacturers’ Association, said, “More than 60 per cent of the traders here are small traders and a large number of them are illiterate. The GST do no good to them.”

The BJP-led government did not conduct any survey or ground work before imposing the GST on the traders, he alleged.

“If the government wants to impose the GST on us, we are ready, but it should be only one time,” he asserted. “There have been no consumers in city markets for over 15 days and transporters are not ready to book any consignment,” claimed protesters.

They said if the government did not resolve their problems immediately, they would block the National Highway-1.