The 217th regular weekly problem-solving meeting of the Surat Mercantile Association (SMA) was held on Sunday, May 17, 2026, from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM at the board room on the first floor of Maheshwari Bhavan, City Light. The meeting was led by SMA chief Narendra Sabu along with his panel and core committee team.
114 trader members were present, and 13 applications were received, most of which were related to cyber crime. During the meeting, traders expressed serious concerns about the current business conditions. It was mentioned that the current situation is reminiscent of the conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The ongoing war in the Middle East and rising inflation are continuously negatively impacting trade. The increase in prices of essential goods has weakened consumers' purchasing power, which is directly visible in the markets. Approximately 90 percent of traders with a turnover of less than 5 crore rupees are being most affected.
Traders stated that rising rents for shops, limited sales, and decreasing demand in the market have further complicated the situation. Business had already been affected after the Shiv Shakti Market fire incident, and now the war and inflation have deepened the business crisis. It was also reported in the meeting that current trade is operating at less than 25 percent speed, which is a matter of great concern.
The SMA advised traders to operate their businesses in a controlled and balanced manner and to avoid any form of over-trading. The organization decided that no new agents or new traders would be given goods on credit, and trade would only be conducted on a cash basis. Additionally, it was decided that old traders would not be given credit for more than 60 days and that no returns of any kind would be accepted.
The meeting concluded with a delicious snack. On this occasion, members of the SMA family including Ashok Goyal, Rajeev Umar, Mahesh Patodia, Rajkumar Chiranian, Durgesh Tibdewal, Gaurav Bhasin, Mukesh Agarwal, Ghanshyam Maheshwari, Manoj Agarwal, Sandeep Agarwal, Ramkishore Bajaj, Sanjay Agarwal, Rajesh Gurnani, and Jitendra Surana, along with prominent city members Ramavtar Sabu, Abhay Rathi, Suresh Malpani, Kanhayalal Chandak, and Rajesh Maheshwari were present. Inspector R.
J. Chaudhary advised traders to remain vigilant against cyber crime and to immediately report complaints at 1930. Inspector R.
J. Chaudhary from the Cyber Crime Cell was present at the SMA meeting. He listened to the complaints of victims of cyber crime present at the meeting and assured comprehensive action on the cases.
Addressing the trading community, Inspector Chaudhary stated that internet banking and social media messaging should be used with utmost caution. He clarified that in the event of any cyber fraud, the first step should be to register a complaint at the national cyber helpline number 1930, after which contact can also be made at the police station.
He mentioned that in many cases, the defrauded amount can be stopped in suspicious (suspended) accounts in time and returned, but once the money is withdrawn from the account, it becomes quite difficult to recover. For cyber security, he suggested that traders use two mobile phones—one for personal and social activities and the other for banking and business activities, which can significantly help in preventing cyber crime incidents.
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