Delhi Traders Warn of Chaos Ahead of Nov 1 Ramlila Maidan Rally
New Delhi, October 30: Delhi's trade body has urged the Congress to rethink the timing of its large rally at Ramlila Maidan, scheduled for November 1, warning that the event could cause widespread disruption in the heart of the capital during the Diwali shopping season.
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has written to Sonia Gandhi, seeking a change of date to November 10 or 11. The chamber said it had already sent three letters to Rahul Gandhi requesting the same, but there had been no outcome.
CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said the chamber was not opposing the rally, but was appealing for the sake of the livelihoods of thousands of traders. Dhanteras falls on November 6 and Diwali on November 8, he noted, and November 1 is the most crucial day of festival preparations.
The chamber estimates that around 10 lakh people would attend the rally, travelling in 15,000 to 20,000 vehicles. Goyal said that if they entered Central Delhi on November 1, daily business worth 10,000 to 12,000 crore rupees across 20 historic markets would be paralysed.
In its letter, CTI lists four major problems. The first is the lack of parking. Ramlila Maidan has no space for even 200 large buses. The chamber said the vehicles needed to bring in the crowd would have to be parked on roads such as JLN Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Netaji Subhash Marg, Ajmeri Gate and Chandni Chowk Road, and even that would not be enough.
The second problem concerns the markets themselves. Twenty wholesale and retail markets within five kilometres of the venue, some around 300 years old, supply goods across India. The chamber named Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar, Connaught Place, Palika Bazar, Janpath, Bhagirath Palace, Khari Baoli, Kashmere 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 third problem is the flow of goods. Around 5,000 trucks and tempos arrive daily from 56 industrial areas, including Narela, Bawana, Okhla, Mayapuri, Mundka, Udyog Nagar and Mangolpuri. About 3,000 trucks leave daily for Gurugram, Noida, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, Sonipat, Panipat and 25 other NCR cities, as well as for every state in the country.
The fourth problem is the early start of the disruption. According to the chamber, buses and vehicles could begin arriving at borders such as Singhu, Tikri, Ghazipur and Badarpur from the afternoon of October 31. Barricades could go up on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg and JLN Marg that evening, and transporters have already said they will not send vehicles from October 31 onwards.
CTI also referred to the Jantar Mantar protest on October 10, when 5,000 to 7,000 people gathered and Central Delhi stayed jammed for eight hours. The chamber said the scale of the planned rally would make such disruption far worse.
The chamber has made two requests. It wants the rally held on November 10 or 11, after Diwali, to avoid harm to Dhanteras and Diwali trade. If the Congress insists on November 1, CTI has asked that the venue be shifted from Ramlila Maidan to Burari Ground, where there is space to park 15,000 vehicles.