CJP protest leaves Connaught Place traders with just 25% business
Traders around Jantar Mantar and in Connaught Place say the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest has badly hit business over the past week, leaving
Traders around Jantar Mantar and in Connaught Place say the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest has badly hit business over the past week, leaving markets with thin crowds, poor sales and growing concern over livelihoods. The impact has gone beyond traffic diversions and Metro station closures, with shopkeepers saying this has been one of the weakest business weeks in recent months. Read Full Story According to the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA), businesses in Connaught Place have been earning only about 25 per cent of their usual turnover because of repeated restrictions and a sharp fall in footfall. NDTA president Atul Bhargava said parking areas that usually accommodate around 100 cars have been seeing only 20-25 vehicles, underlining the drop in visitors. Many shopkeepers said they either kept their shops shut on several days or saw barely any customers.
On Saturday afternoon, when the market would normally be crowded, only a handful of stalls remained open while most shutters were down. "We open our shop every morning hoping business will improve this whole week but there are hardly any customers. Some days, we don't even make our first sale," said Ramesh Kumar, who sells clothes at the flea market. Shabnam Ali, who has been running a garment stall for years, said internet restrictions had made matters worse. "Most customers prefer paying digitally. But, with poor internet connectivity, transactions keep failing. Many people simply leave because they don't have cash," she said. Traders also blamed traffic congestion and security restrictions for keeping visitors away. "People don't want to get stuck in traffic or walk long distances after road closures.
Even regular customers have stopped coming this week," said Vijay Mehta, who runs a perfume shop near Jantar Mantar. Several traders said the market had remained largely inactive from Monday to Friday, with business falling sharply compared with normal days. "We survive on daily sales. Losing an entire week during the tourist season hurts small vendors like us the most," said Sunil, who sells jewellery. Bhargava said the Delhi Police had advised markets to close on Friday because of the security situation, though some restaurants and a few establishments, including one near the Regal Building, remained open voluntarily as owners did not want to suffer further losses. "Our expenses have not reduced. Shop owners still have to pay property tax, salaries and other operational costs, but business has fallen drastically," he said.
The BriefWire