Delhi traders go on 48-hour strike against sealing drive

Protesting the ongoing sealing drive in the national capital, traders on Friday went on a 48-hour strike. Over 2,500 markets and 7 lakh commercial establishments remained shut as part of the Delhi Trade Bandh, according to a statement issued by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

“In a span of two months, as many as 5,000 shops have been shut and no reason is given by the municipal corporations before sealing a shop,” Praveen Khandelwal, CAIT Secretary General, told BusinessLine.

This was for the second time Delhi traders have downed shutters in the last 10 days. They did it earlier on January 23.

Khandelwal said there was no coordination among the authorities, which had led to unplanned development. He demanded that a special task force nr set up under the Chairmanship of Delhi Lt Governor to ensure planned development.

Revenue loss

Both wholesale and retail shops in Delhi will remain shut till Saturday.

The daily loss of business is estimated at ₹1,800 crore, affecting 20 lakh people engaged in trading activities, Khandelwal said. The revenue loss to the government is around ₹150 crore, he added.

“Once the strike gets over, we will review the situation and wait for a week. If the government does not respond positively, we will go on protest again. The government should think about the losses that the traders, daily wage earners and even the government are incurring,” said Ramesh Khanna, National Secretary, CAIT.

Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Defence Colony, Green Park, Greater Kailash, Kamla Nagar, Chwari Bazar are some of the prominent markets that remained shut on Friday, the first day of the protest.