Delhi’s Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) has warned that traders could hand over their shop keys to organisers if rallies and protests in commercial areas are not stopped by November 11, citing major losses during the festive trading season. The traders’ body has also urged authorities to shift demonstrations to Burari, Alipur or the Yamuna Khadar area.
CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal has written to the Delhi Police commissioner seeking a ban on rallies and protest marches at Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Ramlila Maidan, India Gate, Rajghat, and parts of central and Old Delhi during the festival period. The demand comes as traders prepare for Dhanteras, Diwali and Bhai Dooj, which the organisation described as the year’s most important sales window.
According to figures cited by CTI, demonstrations and rallies between October 1 and November 1 caused an estimated Rs 14,000 crore loss to Delhi’s business activity. Goyal claimed that daily traffic congestion around Jantar Mantar and Connaught Place between October 1 and 30 affected trade worth Rs 3,000 crore.
The traders’ body separately attributed an estimated Rs 11,000 crore disruption to a large rally held at Ramlila Maidan on November 1. It said around 2.5 lakh shops in Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Karol Bagh and Connaught Place remained completely closed because of the event, bringing retail and wholesale activity worth Rs 8,800 crore to a halt.
CTI’s estimate also includes Rs 1,500 crore in losses to transport, Rs 500 crore to hotels and the services sector, and Rs 200 crore to daily-wage workers. These figures are claims made by the traders’ organisation and were not independently assessed in the report.
The dispute highlights the pressure created when protest venues overlap with dense commercial districts and major movement corridors. Traders say road closures, traffic restrictions and reduced access affect not only shop operations but also transporters, service businesses, hotel activity and informal workers who depend on festival-season footfall.
CTI said Delhi’s 20 lakh traders could face serious disruption to their annual business planning if demonstrations continue through the festive period. Its immediate demand is for rallies to be restricted from the identified commercial and central locations until Bhai Dooj on November 11, while allowing organisers to use alternative open areas outside the main trading districts. The report does not include a response from the Delhi Police or the protest organisers.
