Restrictions for cylcothon at CP keep shoppers away

NEW DELHI: Commonwealth Games have done nothing to improve business prospects of market areas in the city. In fact, if traders are to be believed, the high security cover in market areas has actually resulted in losses.
On Saturday evening, market areas like CP, Khan Market, Karol Bagh, Chandni Chowk, which are usually bustling at this time of the year, hardly had any shoppers.‘‘We have hardly seen any tourists in the last week. Even our usual customers have stopped visiting the market due to security restrictions. A customer left all his goods behind as there was no way of transporting it out of the market area,’’ said Shivani Jain from Shri Balaji Textile in Chandni Chowk.
No autos or cycle rickshaws are being allowed inside Chandni Chowk main market. Parking along the roadside has also been banned. ‘‘The police is forcing us to shut shop on Sunday. Our market area usually remains open for all seven days but due to security concerns, we are being asked to shut down on Sunday as well. Business has suffered in the past days due to high security cover,’’ said a trader. According to spokesperson of Delhi Police, Rajan Bhagat, Chandni Chowk is supposed to be shut on Sunday. Said Bhagat: ‘‘No one is forcing markets to shut down. Chandni Chowk is supposed to be closed on Sunday.’’
In CP, the parking lots in the Outer Circle were nearly empty and only a handful of people could be spotted there. Inner Circle was a little more lively due to Youth Festival going on at Central Park. ‘‘There were hardly any visitors in CP on Saturday morning. Shoppers only started trickling in the evening as there was no clarity on whether the market would be open or closed due to cyclothon and walk. The area will be out-of-bounds for commuters on Sunday. How will business prospects improve in such a scenario?’’ said president of New Delhi Traders Association, Atul Bharghav.
Meanwhile, some delegates could be seen shopping at Janpath on Saturday. ‘‘My hotel is located in CP so I decided to visit the market area to purchase some Indian handicrafts,’’ said a delegate.
The situation is similar in Khan Market. ‘‘No one wants to visit the market due to security restrictions. The entire market has been taken over by security personnel. Also, Delhiites are scared of being stuck in traffic jams and therefore prefer not stepping out of their homes.’’ Traders in Karol Bagh also claimed they are hardly seeing any customers. ‘‘Forget tourists, even Delhiites are not coming out to shop,’’ said a shopkeeper at Karol Bagh.