NEW DELHI: On Friday afternoon, Connaught Place once again witnessed thin footfall despite a festive season being underway. While shops remained open, protests and a heavy police presence occupied parts of the market, affecting the movement of shoppers and leaving shopkeepers and vendors worried about business during this otherwise peak season.With the weekend accounting for a major share of sales, many shopkeepers feared prolonged losses would make it difficult to pay rent, staff salaries and other expenses. A representative of Wenger’s, a well-known outlet at CP, said, “Eighty to 90% of our business happens over the weekend. In the current situation, we are not even seeing 10% of our usual customers.”A woman vendor from Gujarat, who visits CP every year to sell traditional Gujarati products, said the situation had dampened her spirits this season. “My family had asked me not to come this time, but I still came. However, there are hardly any customers,” she said.Traders at CP, Khan Market and several Old Delhi markets have expressed resentment over repeated protests in central Delhi during the festive season, alleging that road closures and restrictions on movement have severely hit business, with sales dropping to as low as 10% on the days of agitation.In fresh letters to Prime Minister, Union home minister and Delhi Police, traders reiterated that demonstrations be shifted from major commercial hubs as frequent protests were depriving them of crucial sales. Several traders’ associations have also approached Supreme Court, seeking relief. The court has scheduled the matter for Oct 26.In an appeal issued late Thursday night to all parties and protesters, New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA) said, “We respect your right to protest…, but CP is not your stage, it’s our workplace.” A poster shared by it on X stated, “You protest for a better tomorrow, don’t kill our today.”NDTA president Atul Bhargava said just after CJP’s ‘Lehra Do Tiranga’ Friday, another demonstration was organised by the INDIA bloc, adding to their woes. “We have to pay our rentals, staff, property tax. We are incurring heavy losses,” he said.Arguing that CP is a major commercial and traffic hub connecting north and south Delhi, Bhargava said protesters should use designated demonstration sites.Responding to a post by CJP’s Abhijit Dipke on X that businesses suffer when govt shuts down a city, suspends internet services or restricts movement, rather than because of peaceful protests, Bhargava said traders’ concerns stemmed from their past experiences, when “such protests turn out to be violent and traders suffer automatically”.Delhi Kirana Committee and Khan Market Traders’ Association are among the bodies that have filed petitions. KMTA president Sanjiv Mehra said all entry points to Khan Market from Nizamuddin, India Habitat Centre, Safdarjung and Race Course had been closed. He said Supreme Court had indicated Friday that traders could be compensated if it found they had been unlawfully deprived of business because of Tiranga Yatra.In a letter to Prime Minister, Rajendra Kapoor, vice-president of Delhi Vyapar Mahasangh, said markets such as Sadar bazaar, Chandni Chowk, Khari Baoli, Bhagirath Palace, Kashmere Gate and Qutab Road served buyers from across the country. “Traffic congestion and restrictions can prevent customers from reaching shops, affecting business beyond the immediate protest site.”Paramjeet Singh Pamma, president of Sadar bazaar Bari Market Traders Association, said inflation had already put traders under pressure. “Adding to our woes are these protests. If goods purchased in advance for the festive season are not sold on time, traders risk having their working capital tied up, increasing their financial burden.”Vinay Thakur, general secretary of Palika Bazaar Market Shopkeepers’ Association, said shopkeepers were experiencing their second consecutive weekend of disruption. “What about our right to earn a livelihood?”
