Gurgaon refrains from buying Chinese goods this Diwali

Heads of market associations said sale of Chinese goods has been on the decline as people prefer India-made goods, which in return is forcing manufacturers to label their goods ‘Made in India’.

Residents are giving Chinese goods such as lights and lamps a miss this Diwali and the reasons range from “patriotism” to “environmental degradation” and “inferior quality goods”.

At most of the Diwali melas organised across the city this year, there were few China-made goods to be seen. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The aversion to Chinese goods has been on the rise in Gurgaon since last year when a market in Sadar Bazar known as Chinese bazaar changed its name to Bombay bazaar.

At most of the Diwali melas organised across the city this year, there were few China-made goods to be seen.

At the melas in Park View Residency, Suncity, Bestech Park View City 2 and Sector 57, residents’ welfare associations (RWAs) refused to let Chinese goods be a part of fares on display.

“We were very strict about not allowing Chinese goods at our mela as they are often of substandard quality. In fact, we had to reject a few people who wanted to set up stalls at the mela with Chinese goods,” NC Yadav, RWA president of Sector 57, said.

Suncity township has also said ‘no’ to Chinese goods in their locality.

“After the border standoff between India and China in Sikkim, it seems incorrect for us to use Chinese goods. As a show of support to the nation, we did not allow Chinese goods in our Diwali mela this year,” general secretary of Suncity Township RWA MK Singh said.

In some localities, not only did the RWA not allow Chinese goods, they also requested residents to refrain from purchasing them.

“RWA members approached each resident and appealed them not to use Chinese products this Diwali owing to its high toxic content and environmental hazard. As a concerned resident, I complied with the request,” Deepika Nischal, a resident of Park View Residency in Palam Vihar, said.

Heads of market associations said sale of Chinese goods has been on the decline as people prefer India-made goods, which in return is forcing manufacturers to label their goods ‘Made in India’.

“The production of LED lights is low in India and, hence, they cost more. However, affordable lights are still in the market and this gives an indication that manufacturers have started labelling their goods as ‘Made in India’,” Bablu Gupta, president of Haryana vyapar mandal, Sadar Bazar, said.

On Monday, members of the Swadeshi Jagran Manch, a wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, held a press meeting asking residents to reject Chinese goods. They said these goods are a threat to the environment owing to its high toxic content and also bad for the Indian economy as small-scale domestic industries cannot compete with cheaper priced goods from China.