The Thiruvananthapuram corporation cancelled the license of Pothys textiles in the city on August 4, Wednesday, as it was allegedly found breaching COVID-19 protocol in the state. On August 3, the police and health department of the corporation found that people were entering an outlet through a backdoor staff entry and making purchases after closing the front door. Textile stores were allowed to open only on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. However On August 4, after a revised government order, all shops are allowed to open six days a week. The action was taken against the textile store before the revised order.
The notice from the corporation said that the action against the textile store was taken based on Section 447 of Kerala Municipality Act, the Kerala Epidemic Disease Ordinance and orders from disaster management authorities. This is not the first time that the corporation is taking action against Pothys for breaching regulations. Earlier, action was taken against Pothys hypermarket that functions in the ground floor of the Pothys shopping complex. Textiles are on the first, second and third floor.
In July 2020, the corporation cancelled the license of shopping malls Pothys and Ramachandrans for allowing crowds, following which scores of their employees contracted the coronavirus. Though Pothys provide disposable hand gloves and ensure a temperature check before a customer enters the store, there were many complaints over physical distancing not being maintained inside the store.
Few months ago, Pothys hypermarket introduced a huge discount for vegetables, which made people rush to the store. After a video of the crowd surfaced on social media, they were warned by authorities, following which the discount was suspended. Pothys is a multi-storey shopping complex situated in Ayurveda college junction of Thiruvananthapuram, that has a hypermarket, textile store and homeware sections. It is one of the busiest shopping areas in the city.