Rats, termites and waterlogging damage goods as shops keep shutters down for 45 days

Naveen Shankar, a dry fruits trader in Old Delhi’s Khari Baoli, says that when he opened the shutter of his shop on Tuesday to take stock of the situation after nearly 40 days, his jaw dropped in shock. Sealed cans of cashews, walnuts and almonds, imported from across the globe, were strewn on the floor, and white powdery remains were pouring from sacks that had been nibbled into. A few dead rats lay around the shop, taking credit for the damage.

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He estimates that this loss would nearly be worth ₹50 lakh, and he hasn’t even looked at the condition of his godown yet, where he has stored nearly 250 sacks of various varieties of dry fruits.

Rat-nibbled garments, termite-infested paper rolls, fungal growth in eatables and knee-deep water in showrooms and godowns—nearly 45 days after the lockdown, traders in the national capital are bearing the brunt of downing their shutters. Many say that since shops have remained closed for many days now, the losses caused by insect infestation and waterlogging is already estimated to be worth several crores of rupees and this is just the beginning.

“Anticipating Ramzan, we had stored high-priced dates, figs (anjeer), cashews, almonds and walnuts. Before we closed our shop, we moved a lot of the items into our godowns. We sealed the stuff in the shop in sacks and airtight cans. But when we opened the shutters to check the situation, we found the shop in a mess,” Shankar says.

On March 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a nationwide lockdown to control the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) in the country. Only shops selling essential commodities such as groceries, vegetables and medicines could operate. While many trader unions supported the lockdown, as days pass, the losses are proving back-breaking for many small traders.

Traders in Old Delhi say that while those in other parts of the city were dealing with problems of rat and insect infestation, they were facing additional challenges unique to this area. Since the area has a higher underground water-level compared to the rest of the city, many basements and godowns are filled with knee-deep water that has damaged clothes, jewellery and stationery items.

Paramjeet Singh Pamma, president of Sadar Bazar market association, says that many shops in the market are located below ground level, and because no one could come to inspect the situation in the shops for over a month, the shops are flooded. The recent rain in parts of the national capital has also added to the damage.

In many shops, the godowns, which are mostly located behind the shops, have also been flooded or have had rats running amok, destroying the stock. There are nearly 30,000 to 40,000 traders in the market.

“On Monday, when the Delhi government announced some relaxations, some of us managed to check on the situation. Many told us of their stock being soaked in water, resulting in a fungal coating on their goods. All of it is unfit for sale now,” Pamma says.

Not far from Sadar Bazar, in Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazar, the situation is similar. Traders dealing in paper and wholesale stationery items have been hit the worst. They say paper rolls have completely been destroyed and cannot be salvaged. The estimated loss in Chawri Bazar, where there are nearly 120 paper traders, is over ₹5-8 crore till now, the Chawri Bazar Paper Traders’ Association says.

Apart from the losses incurred from just the damaged goods, traders are also worried that prolonged closure will also add to the costs of redoing their shops, as walls have been coated with algae remains and furniture has been destroyed by termites.

Sanjay Bhargava, president of Sarv Vyapar Mandal in Chandni Chowk, says that many traders in the market are unable to reach their shops as their residential areas have been marked as containment zones by the government. The gravity of the situation will unfold in the coming weeks, he says.

“I am also a victim. I opened my shop after many days and found dead rats just lying around. Apart from this, traders have also complained of sarees and lehengas being eaten by insects and termites. Silver jewellery and work on wedding wear have also been oxidised. It is a very peculiar situation and we do not know how the government can intervene to help us out,” Bhargava says.

Similar scenes have been witnessed in markets across the city. Traders say that this is just the tip of the iceberg because many of them are yet to open their shops and assess the damage caused.

In south Delhi’s popular Sarojini Nagar market, traders have written to Prime Minister Modi and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to allow shops of non-essential goods to open. Showrooms of popular brands in the market have also experienced cases of insect infestations that have damaged goods worth crores in the market.

“We have written to the PM and the CM asking them to allow us to open our shops. Every day that our shop remains closed is adding to the losses. Termites and rats have caused major damage. We’ll even agree to certain restrictions if the permissions are given,” Ashok Randhawa, president of Sarojini Nagar Mini Market Traders’ Association, says.