No control over crowds, parking is inadequate: Sarojini market union president
Ashok Randhawa, the President of the Sarojini Market Traders’ Association, in a conversation with Ifrah Mufti, discusses the major issues concerning the market, the security situation in the market and problems of traffic and crowd management in the bustling South Delhi market. Excerpts:
What is the major issue concerning the Sarojini Market that needs immediate attention?
One major problem, which has not been resolved since ages, is unauthorized body hawkers roaming in the market without relevant clearances or even identity proofs. They are not permanent sellers in the market. Such people are dangerous in terms of safety in a market where 60,000 women visit every day. We have written to the police and the NDMC separately. We recently wrote to the Commissioner, Delhi Police requesting him to enhance security arrangements in the market for the upcoming Republic Day celebrations. Such hawkers misbehave with the women customers. Then there are regular complaints of pick-pocketing. We have requested the police to take necessary actions..
Has the crowd management improved after restricted entry through metal detectors at entry gates?
No. Instead, the crowd management situation has become worse. The entry into the market must become more disciplined. There is chaos in the huge queues that gather outside the metal detector gates, which is quite worrying. There are days when we have to close the entries for some time to manage the crowd gathered in the queues. As per a report, as many as 10,000 customers enter the market from the metro station in one hour duration; one can imagine the chaos outside.
What is the status of the parking problem around Sarojini Nagar market?
The available lifts that carry vehicles up to the slots are very slow. Sometimes it takes over 20-25 minutes just to park a car. This is why most people end up parking on the road while half of the people prefer going to Lajpat Nagar or Karol Bagh markets just to avoid the difficult parking scenario in Sarojini market. We had proposed underground parking instead and we had a meeting recently with the NDMC. But we have no assurance. We need a parking area which can accommodate around 2000 cars.