Fear, low footfall grip Delhi markets after Red Fort blast

A day after the Red Fort blast, Delhi’s major markets saw thin crowds, anxious shopkeepers, and traders demanding better security.

While the markets neighbouring the Red Fort blast site saw a tepid footfall a day later, other major markets across the national Capital also witnessed shopkeepers and locals expressing concerns about the lack of security in case of emergencies.

Police personnel conduct an inspection amid high alert following the blast at Red Fort Metro Station at Sarojini Nagar Market on Tuesday. (Sanjeev Verma/HT)

“Anyone can hide anything and no one will check,” said Amit Gupta, joint secretary of New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA), “There is space for around 70 authorised vendors and hawkers in the Connaught Place area but there are over 500 currently who set up stalls, causing congestions. We have appealed to the police as well as New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) to take note of the same but it has fallen on deaf ears. Who will ensure that nothing will happen if there are no security measures in place?”

From concerns over safety to fall in business, shopkeepers showed low confidence as the aftermath of the blast looms over the city. The situation is likely to remain the same in the next few days.

Vinay Sharma, who has been selling bags in the Janpath market for the last 20 years, said, “It has been a very slow day. Of course, people are scared and we would have been at home too if we could. However, this is the wedding season so our sales are usually high around this time, but a week of such slow business will definitely leave a dent on our monthly accounts.”

South Delhi markets also saw a significant decrease in footfall. Multiple shopkeepers in the Sarojini Nagar and nearby INA markets stated that while Tuesdays were anyway slow days, but there were much fewer customers than usual.

“The market is almost empty today. A lot of people come to our restaurant for lunch around this time, but today, the number of people is much less,” said Shibin Shaji, who runs a restaurant in the INA market.

In Lajpat Nagar, a similar scene unfolded. “People are scared that something will happen again, so there is less of a crowd today. Additionally, the police have restricted some of the parking, so visitors are also unable to come,” said Anshul Dawar, 42, who runs a home appliances shop in the area, “However, we are not worried, it is safe inside the shop. Besides, everyone has to work.”

Customers and shopkeepers alike recollected the 2005 bomb blast which occurred in the Sarojini Nagar Market, and were worried about the incident repeating.

Ashok Kalra, president of the Sarojini Nagar Shopkeepers’ Association, highlighted the continuous congestion in the market as a security risk. “I believe that the incident occurred in Chandni Chowk because it is a crowded place,” he said.

The city’s major markets saw high vigilance and police presence on Tuesday. NDMC parking officials around CP had been told by police officials to keep a sharp lookout for anything suspicious.

“We have been told to keep checking parked cars with under vehicle scanners and check identities of anyone if we feel the slightest suspicion,” an NDMC official told HT.

A constable at Sarojini Nagar market stated that the police had increased their patrolling from the usual two times a day to every 2-3 hours, and were impounding vehicles which had been parked near the site for many days.

The few customers in the market, however, had mixed reactions, with some stating that they had come only out of necessity and others expressing a more unbothered attitude.

“My daughter has a school function tomorrow for which she needs certain clothes. However, we are worried, because what happened at Red Fort can happen anywhere. As soon as we get what we need, we will leave,” said Javed Ahmed, who had come to the Lajpat Nagar market with his wife and daughter.

In CP’s Shankar Market, 60-year-old Meenakshi Singh, who had come to have a relaxing afternoon with her sister, said, “Of course what has happened is horrible but there is no point in changing our plans, we can hardly do anything anyway.”