Shops shut for nearly 3 months, traders in ‘red zone’ Jahangirpuri seek nod to reopen

Traders along with local area councillor met the district magistrate (north) on Wednesday and requested him to make some arrangements to allow them to open shops in some pockets of Jahangirpuri where the number of Covid-19 cases is low.

After being forced to remain shut for nearly three months, at least 8,000 traders in north Delhi’s Jahangirpuri, a containment zone, are demanding that they be allowed to reopen shops as they are now struggling to survive without a means of livelihood.

A near-deserted area in Jahangirpuri’s C Block. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Shops in Jahangirpuri had been shut since March 21, four days before the nationwide lockdown to combat Covid-19 kicked in. On April 8, Block B in this neighbourhood became the first of 12 containment zones to crop up across the locality.

According to district administration officials, nearly 300 Covid-19 cases have been reported from the entire Jahangirpuri area, where around seven lakh people live, making this one of the most prolific hot spots in north Delhi. Of the 34 containment zones in North district, 12 are in Jahangirpuri.

Officials said even though Covid cases rose sharply in the locality in the initial two months, only isolated cases are being reported now, but the authorities are still wary of lifting the curbs.They said it may take another week before they even start thinking of allowing markets to open.

Traders along with local area councillor met the district magistrate (north) Deepak Shinde on Wednesday and requested him to make some arrangements to allow them to open shops in some pockets of Jahangirpuri where the number of Covid-19 cases is low.

Jahangirpuri councillor Poonam Bagri said in other parts of the city, only those lanes are sealed from where Covid-19 cases are reported while markets are allowed to open with restrictions. But that was not the case in Jahangirpuri.

“In Jahangirpuri, markets are still closed and shopkeepers and vendors have no earnings. We have written to lieutenant-governor Anil Baijal, and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal regarding the problems being faced by traders and residents of the area due to the closure of markets. Surviving without a livelihood for nearly three months is not easy for middle-class and lower middle-class families of Jahangirpuri,” she said.

Bagri said some parts of Sadar Bazar, which was a containment zone, has now been opened after traders protested and raised the matter with the administration. “Shinde has assured us that he will conduct an inspection with the health department officials to assess the Covid-19 situation and allow shops in some pockets to open at least by next week,” she said.

Rahul Juneja, member of Jahangirpuri B-C Block market association, said, “Items kept in the shops are getting spoiled -- rats have destroyed ready-made garments. We have no income, and, yet, we have to pay fixed charges for electricity and water. We are now struggling to survive and the situation will become worse if we are not allowed to open our shops soon.”

Shinde said isolated cases have been reported from different pockets of Jahangirpuri and so the area continues to remain a containment zone and markets cannot be allowed to open.

“Isolated cases of Covid-19 are being reported from the area. In that scenario, we cannot take a chance as Jahangirpuri is a densely populated area. As a precautionary measure, markets have to be kept shut for now. We are closely monitoring the situation and will consider opening markets in some pockets once there is some improvement in the situation,” he said.

The district magistrate further said on the request of residents, the timings of grocery shops have been increased by two hours -- from the earlier 8am to 10am to 7am to 11am.