NEW DELHI: Delhi’s trading sector suffered an estimated loss of Rs 10,000 to 11,000 crore due to disruptions caused by the INDIA bloc rally at Ramlila Maidan on Sunday, Chamber of Trade & Industry (CTI) Chairman Brijesh Goyal claimed hours after the event.
“Around 20 to 25 major markets in the vicinity of the rally venue were affected, with approximately 250,000 shops remaining closed out of the nearly 300,000 shops,” Goyal said.
Dwelling on the impact on traders, Goyal rued, “The closures were largely due to panic over the expected arrival of a large number of people and vehicles. Due to the rally held at Ramlila Maidan, about 20 to 25 major markets in the vicinity were affected.
These historic markets house approximately 3,00,000 shops.” He added. “Based on data we received from various WhatsApp groups of traders from different markets under the Confederation of All India Traders, about 80% of these shops—roughly 2,50,000 out of 3,00,000—remained closed,” he said.
He added that the movement of customers, suppliers and dealers from towns surrounding Delhi was also affected. Goyal said, “Around 3,00,000 to 4,00,000 people who usually travel to the national capital for business did not arrive.”
He further claimed that approximately 5,000 vehicles, including small tempos and trucks, could not operate, disrupting the transportation of goods from industrial areas and transport hubs to markets in Old Delhi and Central Delhi.