New Delhi: Business associations in the national capital have moved the Supreme Court to intervene against frequent agitations in central Delhi, arguing that ongoing demonstrations and heavy police restrictions are causing massive financial damage to local merchants. Atul Bhargav, a representative of the New Delhi Traders Association, specifically urged authorities to bar protests within Connaught Place. He pointed out that recent demonstrations called at Central Park have led to extensive road blockades and police barricades, creating severe disruptions right before the crucial festival season.
Bhargav noted that closures impacting Janpath Market, Palika Bazaar, and Khan Market actively deter visitors and choke commercial activity. Furthermore, he dismissed proposals to permit demonstrations inside Central Park itself, recalling that past rallies quickly turned disorderly once crowds spilled out from metro stations onto arterial roadways. Retailers from various markets, alongside the Delhi Kirana Committee, emphasized that recurrent protests combined with strict security measures have triggered substantial retail and wholesale trade deficits across the city, estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 crore rupees daily.
Shopkeepers voiced mounting anxiety over maintaining steep commercial rents and paying employee wages while customer footfall drops sharply due to public apprehension surrounding protests. In response to the traders' grievances, Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijit Dipke contended that commercial enterprises do not suffer because of peaceful demonstrations, but rather because the government and police enforce heavy blockades, suspend internet services, and unnecessarily restrict urban mobility. Meanwhile, Delhi Police maintained traffic curbs around Central Park in Connaught Place while confirming that retail markets in the area remained open.