₹10,000-Crore Business at Stake: Chamber Sounds Alarm, Seeks Rally Rescheduling

The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Saturday urged the LoP Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party to postpone their proposed November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan until after November 10.

In a letter to the LoP, the CTI said the proposed rally could disrupt its business during the peak festival season. They said this was the shopping season and it is expected that by Deepawali the total business turnover would be around Rs 10,000 crore.

CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said the rally would close wholesale and retail markets around Ramlila Maidan. He said this was the season when traders get maximum customer footfall ahead of Dhanteras and Deepawali.

According to Goyal, silver, electronics, clothing, utensils, dry fruits, sweets, automobiles, property and gift items would be in high demand, and during this festive season, the market records business around Rs 25,000 crore. He said Deepawali would be celebrated on November 8, followed by Bhai Dooj on November 10.

The traders’ body said markets generally see increased activity about a week before the festivals, making the timing of the rally a matter of concern for traders. He said that, as per the assessment of the CTI, traders had suffered losses of over Rs 3000 crore in October due to frequent rallies and street protests near Jantar Mantar, Connaught Place, India Gate and Central Delhi.

The disruptions affected the movement of goods to wholesale markets and reduced customer footfall at retail outlets. Around 20 wholesale and retail markets within a five-kilometre radius of Ramlila Maidan, including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Chawri Bazar, Bhagirath Palace, Khari Baoli, Kashmere Gate, Nai Sarak, Mori Gate, Kinari Bazar, Dariba, Daryaganj, Ajmeri Gate, Jama Masjid, Karol Bagh and Azad Market suffered most as they could not supply goods to traders across the country due to traffic diversions, barricading and restrictions on public transport due to rallies and protests, he added. Political meetings and rallies during festive period, Goyal said would cause problems for the traders and buyers coming to Delhi from other states.o

Police restrictions on roads deter buyers coming from outside Delhi. He said while peaceful protest was everybody’s right, it should not result in inconvenience to the traders particularly during the festive season, he said.

Hence, the traders’ body requested the LoP to consider postponement of the November 1 rally, which is aimed at escalating the protest against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, demanding his resignation.