Sadar Bazar traders want area to be desealed, write to CM Arvind Kejriwal

On Monday, the Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders Associations wrote to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking permission to reopen their shops.

Traders in Sadar Bazar — one of Delhi’s largest wholesale market — have approached the Delhi government with a plea to de-contain their area so that they can resume business as usual. The market has been shut for almost two months since the entire area was declared a containment zone to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The traders said they have been hit hard because of the continuing lockdown in their area and have now started living of their savings.(Vipin Kumar/HT file photo)

On Monday, the Federation of Sadar Bazar Traders Associations wrote to Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal seeking permission to reopen their shops. The traders said they have been hit hard because of the continuing lockdown in their area and have now started living of their savings.

The association in the letter to the CM demanded segregating the residential area from the commercial one so that shops could be reopened.

Paramjeet Singh Pamma, a member of the association said, “Over 4,500 shops in Sadar Bazar have remained shut, as the whole area — including both commercial and residential — has been deemed as a containment zone. More than 70% of the area is purely commercial and has not seen any cases. It is different from the residential area, from where cases were being reported. We have suffered heavy losses and are finding it difficult to even run our houses now.”

Nidhi Srivastava, district magistrate (Central district), said that the area is contained as per protocol. “Cases are still being reported from the area. The market falls in the containment zone, which has been sealed following orders of the Union home ministry,” she said.

Meanwhile, Brajesh Goyal,convenor, AAP’s trade and industry wing, said, “We received their letter on Monday, which has been forwarded to the CM. A decision in the matter will be taken by appropriate authorities.”.