Mancherial: Festival rush forces malls to ‘import’ salespersons from AP

Shopping malls and textile stores in Mancherial district centre are seeing a surge in sales following both Bathukamma and Dasara festival

Mancherial: The brisk sales registered in apparel sections have forced stores in Mancherial town to rope in salesmen and women from neighboring Andhra Pradesh for a fortnight to tackle the festival rush.

Shopping malls and textile stores in Mancherial district centre are seeing a surge in sales following both Bathukamma and Dasara festival, a major religious affair of Telangana, coming close to each other.

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The stores are struggling to handle crowds and are left with no option but to rely on salesmen and women from Visakhapatnam and other parts of Andhra Pradesh.

“I am offered a wage of Rs 600 per day apart from provision of accommodation and food,” Anji, a salesman from Visakhapatnam said. The salesmen and women said they were staying in temporary camps arranged by the stores. They would return to their native towns once the rushes decline after Dasara. They, however, expressed happiness to find livelihood in several parts of Telangana in view of the festival.

The shopping malls are using their friends and contacts in Andhra Pradesh to import the salesmen. Incidentally, the malls in the neighboring State are said to have experiencing a dip in sales in October. They are expected to record a spurt in the sales during Sankranti festival.

Mancherial district centre which houses scores of shopping malls are being swarmed by farmers, employees of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL), National Thermal Power Corporation-Ramagundam and residents of Naspur, Ramakrishnapur, Mandamarri, Luxettipet and some other parts of the district and from Kumram Bheem Asifabad district. They reportedly record sales of Rs 150 crore during Dasara and Diwali festivals.

Police have imposed traffic restrictions on roads where the shopping malls are situated to prevent snarls.

Cars and auto-rickshaws are not allowed on the road leading to the malls. Barricades were placed at the entry and end points of the road. Motorists are forced to take the Railway Station road to reach their destinations.