Traders have little to cheer

have little reason to cheer. Their business has taken a hit due to the never-ending construction work in the area.

The festive season is round the corner, but traders in Connaught Place (CP) have little reason to cheer. Their business has taken a hit due to the never-ending construction work in the area.

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The traders have seen the worst in the past three years with business being affected severely. Making their way to CP is proving to be a Herculean task for shoppers as most of the radial roads, which connect Outer Circle to the Middle Circle and Middle Circle to Inner Circle, have been barricaded from the past one year.

Not only this, finding space to park their vehicles proves to be another mammoth task for people. The ongoing restoration work has made the Inner and Middle circle inaccessible. The walking room for pedestrians has also been affected.

“Forget about parking space, there is not even enough room for people to walk. I see no reason to come down to CP from south Delhi to shop,” said Sumit Rana, a resident of Saket.

“I travel to my office in CP by bus. With a majority of subways not yet constructed, we risk our lives while crossing busy roads,” said Aditi Manohar, a resident of South Extension.

The traders also claim that the quality of renovation work being carried out is also not up to the mark. “They have changed all windows. The new ones leak after showers, besides the basement gets flooded due to a drainage problem,” said Atul kapoor, a trader in CP.

The construction had started before Commonwealth Games 2010, but is yet to be completed.