NEW DELHI: A day after the blast outside the Red Fort that left the capital shaken, traders at two prominent Delhi markets -- Lajpat Nagar and Sarojini Nagar -- displayed contrasting reactions on Tuesday.
At Lajpat Nagar market, which is one of the busiest in the city, the security arrangements were visibly tighter. Police presence was heightened, entry and exit points were barricaded, and parking areas were closely monitored.
“Fortunately, the arrangements in the market are much appreciable today,” said Kuldeep Kumar, President of the Lajpat Nagar Market Welfare Traders Association.
“The police were in their actual role today, probably taking lessons from last evening’s incident. There was zero encroachment, proper checking, and we felt so relaxed,” he added.
Kumar added that he personally urged the local police to maintain this vigilance in the long run. “The SHO was in the market since 7 am. I requested him to continue such strict checks in the future as well,” he said.
Recalling the 2005 blasts, he noted that Lajpat Nagar had been “fortunate” to escape tragedy back then because of heavy security on that particular day. “Security at such places can play a major role in avoiding dangerous incidents,” he added.
However, the situation at Sarojini Nagar, one of the sites hit in the 2005 explosions, was starkly different. Traders there said that even after a major blast in the city, the market had “no visible security.”
Ashok Randhawa, President of the Sarojini Nagar Traders’ Welfare Association, expressed his frustration: “Nothing has changed since 2005. We see some security only on Holi or Diwali. Today, there are no guards at any of the six entry points, and half the metal detectors don’t even work.”
Randhawa warned that the situation could turn catastrophic on weekends when the market sees nearly one lakh visitors. “If someone even shouts ‘bomb blast,’ panic alone could kill a thousand people,” he said, adding that repeated appeals to the authorities have gone unanswered.
The 2005 serial blasts, which killed over 60 people, had taken place at Paharganj, Govindpuri, and Sarojini Nagar, all bustling markets teeming with shoppers ahead of Diwali.
