New Delhi, A number of merchants staged a protest in southwest Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar space on Wednesday towards unauthorised avenue distributors within the space, accusing them of encroachment and inflicting losses to shopkeepers throughout the market space.
The merchants alleged that a whole bunch of unlawful distributors have arrange retailers in areas meant for pedestrian motion in Sarojini Nagar Market, which has led to an almost 50 per cent drop in buyer footfall, severely affecting gross sales.
“Only a day in the past, a minimum of 15 retailers had been put in in a single day utilizing cranes,” mentioned Ashok Randhawa, the president of the Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Merchants’ Affiliation.
“When clients exit the metro station and see these retailers lined up, they assume that to be the market. Because of this, we anticipate hours for purchasers to succeed in our retailers,” he mentioned.
Randhawa additionally identified violations on the Sarojini Nagar Metro Station. “At Gate 1, a dairy store has been opened. A dairy store is meant to promote milk or curd. As a substitute, it’s promoting momos and chole bhature. But no motion is being taken,” he mentioned.
The merchants alleged that the Delhi Metro Rail Company didn’t comply with due course of earlier than allotting house for these kiosks.
“Every time NDMC or MCD constructs retailers, tenders are floated. These retailers have appeared with none bidding or transparency. How are you going to construct retailers on a public walkway?” Randhawa posed.
In a memorandum submitted to the DMRC, the merchants claimed that industrial exercise exterior the market space poses a critical menace to commuter security and crowd management, particularly throughout peak hours.
They additional alleged that every time there’s a court docket listening to on unlawful encroachments, the retailers are eliminated a day earlier than. “The second the listening to is over, they return,” Randhawa mentioned.
The merchants additionally raised considerations concerning the danger of overcrowding on the metro station.
Noting that the metro station has solely two gates, Ashok Kalra, the president of the Sarojini Nagar Shopkeepers’ Affiliation, mentioned, “On weekends or throughout festive seasons, practically one lakh individuals go to the market. With simply two gates, the gang turns into unmanageable and will simply result in a stampede-like state of affairs.”
The affiliation has urged DMRC to halt the allotment and operation of kiosks within the space and to conduct a joint security audit involving DMRC, Delhi Hearth Companies and Delhi Police.
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