NEW DELHI: As Delhi’s designated protest site finds a new identity, it sees an unusual calm with barricades lying by the side of the road, security personnel sitting relaxed, and vehicles passing on smoothly. However, the local shopkeepers struggle with an identity crisis.
They claimed loss of livelihood during the imposition of Section 163 BNSS due to the recent protests and are anticipating loss of business in the long run due to the de-notification. The most affected are street vendors who have been hardly getting customers.
Access has also been eased for places like Kerala House, the old JDU office building, among others. The Jantar Mantar-Janpath and Sansad Marg-Ashoka Road routes are open for traffic movement. The police, however, continued elaborate security arrangements and deployed personnel to prevent any unauthorised gathering or march towards Jantar Mantar.
Commuters have been getting direct access to the Jantar Mantar road from the Jai Singh Marg side to the Ashoka road and vice versa. Diversions from the Tolstoy Road and other routes to reach the area aren’t needed anymore.
However, permanent eating joints like Baka Ka Dhaba, Kutty’s Soujt Indian Shop, ice cream shops, etc., have stories to tell. The staff at these shops claim that the authorities had closed operations for some time, and now they were resumed with limited customers. Office goers are their only customers.
A shopkeeper said that businesses had witnessed a significant increase in sales during the protests, as most demonstrators frequently visited nearby shops. However, the shopkeeper added that sales would now be affected on weekends and public holidays, when most offices remain closed.
Ramesh Kumar, a street vendor, also reported a sharp decline in sales. He said his sales had nearly doubled during the recent protests, but he was now struggling to find customers. He believes he may have to relocate to another area in search of customers.
All routes open
Commuters now have a direct access to the Jantar Mantar road from the Jai Singh Marg to Ashoka road and vice versa. Diversions from the Tolstoy Road and other routes to reach the area aren’t needed anymore. Access has also been eased for places like Kerala House, the old JDU office building, among others. The Jantar Mantar-Janpath and Sansad Marg-Ashoka Road road are also open for traffic.