NEW DELHI: The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) in Delhi on Friday urged senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi to postpone the party’s proposed mega rally at Ramlila Maidan on November 1, warning that it could disrupt business worth Rs 10,000-12,000 crore across 20 markets in the national capital.The trade body said the rally, proposed by leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, comes at a crucial time when markets are preparing for the Diwali shopping season.The trade body warned of severe economic losses during the peak festive shopping season.The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) said the rally is expected to draw around 10 lakh people and 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles to central Delhi. It warned that the large gathering could lead to severe traffic congestion and affect the movement of goods and shoppers across the markets.“We demand to reschedule the mega-rally of 1 million (10 lakh) people, planned for November 1, to a date after Diwali; lack of parking for 15,000–20,000 vehicles could lead to a total gridlock, akin to a lockdown,” the CTI urged in its letter to Sonia Gandhi.The traders’ body said the rally is planned at a crucial time for businesses, with Dhanteras falling on November 6 and Diwali on November 8. It said November 1 is expected to be one of the busiest days for transporting festive goods and for shoppers visiting the markets.CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said traders were worried about the possible impact on their livelihoods and stressed that the appeal was not against the rally.“We are not opposing the rally; we are making a heartfelt plea to protect our livelihoods during the peak Diwali season,” stated CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal.“These 20 markets are not merely marketplaces; they are the heartbeat of Delhi. They generate a daily turnover of 10,000 to 12,000 crore rupees, and Dhanteras falls on November 6th. Traders are anxious: if a lockdown-like gridlock hits central Delhi on October 31st and November 1st, how will the goods for Dhanteras be transported in and out?” Goyal added.“Dhanteras falls on November 6, and Diwali is on November 8; November 1 is the busiest day for preparations… If 1 million people and 15,000–20,000 vehicles arrive in Central Delhi on November 1, the daily business turnover of Rs 10,000–12,000 crore across 20 historic markets will come to a complete standstill,” Goyal noted.
Parking and traffic concerns
In its letter, the CTI listed four major concerns. The first was the lack of parking space at Ramlila Maidan.“Where will 15,000–20,000 vehicles be parked? Ramlila Maidan does not even have the capacity to park 200 large buses.”The second concern was the possible disruption to 20 wholesale and retail markets within a 5-km radius of the venue. The CTI said these markets together record daily business worth Rs 10,000-12,000 crore.The markets include Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Connaught Place, Palika Bazar, Janpath, Bhagirath Palace, Khari Baoli, Kashmiri Gate, Naya Bazar, Lajpat Rai Market, Chawri Bazar, Kinari Bazar, Dariba Kalan, Ballimaran, Fatehpuri, Tilak Bazar, Karol Bagh, Jama Masjid, Nabi Karim, Gaffar Market, Ajmeri Gate-Paharganj and Daryaganj.The traders’ body also warned that traffic restrictions could begin well before the rally. It said buses and other vehicles may start arriving at Delhi’s borders, including Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Badarpur, from the afternoon of October 31. Barricades could also be put up along Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and JLN Marg by the evening.The CTI said transporters had already begun refusing to send vehicles to the markets from October 31.It also cited the traffic disruption during an earlier protest as a reason for concern.“On October 10th, with only 5,000 to 7,000 people gathering at Jantar Mantar, central Delhi remained gridlocked for eight hours. Now, 1 million (10 lakh) people are expected to arrive.”The CTI said the markets, some of which are up to 300 years old, supply goods to different parts of the country. It added that their operations depend on around 5,000 trucks and tempos arriving daily from 56 industrial areas, including Narela, Bawana, Okhla, Mayapuri, Mundka, Udyog Nagar and Mangolpuri.
CTI suggests two alternatives
To avoid disruption during the festive season, the CTI has suggested two options. It has asked the organisers to postpone the rally until after November 10 or shift it to Burari Maidan if the November 1 date cannot be changed.
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The rally, called the ‘Chalo Dilli Ramlila March’, has been organised by the opposition INDIA bloc to protest against alleged vote tampering.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has said the march is not limited to any one political party and has appealed to people to join it.“Chalo Dilli Ramlila March, it is a march to save democracy, to stop vote theft, to save the Constitution. This is not a march of any one political party; it is a march of the soul of India. All the people who are fed up with Narendra Modi, Amit Shah, and Gyanesh Kumar, all the people who want to save democracy, who want to protect the Constitution, you all come,” Rahul Gandhi stated.The letter to Sonia Gandhi came after the trade body had also written to Rahul Gandhi, urging him to postpone the rally to avoid disrupting business during the festive season.With less than 48 hours left before the rally, traders are waiting for a response from the Congress leadership to their request.