The New Delhi Traders’ Association (NDTA) on Monday said they will take the “agitation path” against the draconian decision of the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) for making inner and middle circle “vehicle free”.
“It is an absurd idea of the Ministry of Urban Development (MoUD). This is an attempt to ruin trader’s business. We are unable to get the rationale behind this step,” said Atul Bhargava, president of NDTA. “Today we had meeting with 150 traders to decide our next course of action,” he said.
On the one hand, antagonism among NDTA members is escalating while on the other hand, NDMC officials are gettign ready to implement “car bandi” in the heart of city from third week of February. Earlier they had planned to implement this from February 1 but the decision has been deferred as the preparations were not course.
Bhargava told The Pioneer that their association has written a letter to various politicians but none of them have responded so far. “Are the local leaders sleepingIJ Don’t they know what we are faced withIJ We the traders are struggling here for our bread and butter,” Bhargava said.
“We have written letter to Union Development Minister Veinkaih Naidu, New Delhi MP, Meenakshi lekhi, Delhi lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, but there is no response from them,” he said.
Raising security concerns for people visiting CP in the event of “Car bandi” coming into force from February third week, the NDTA members said there are around 20 jewellery shops in CP and hundreds of customers visit these shops daily. “Will they travel in e - rickshaw with Jewellery and cashIJ Who will guard them and this is an attempt to vanish our business,” he added.
“NDMC officials should do some survey before executing the plan. They are arguing that the NDMC is replicating the pedestrian and open eatery plans of Paris and New York. It is important point out here that the world’s popular market lacks CCTV installation despite the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)’s stern directive during Common Wealth Games,” said Anuj Kaicker, owner of Manohar shop in Inner Circle.
“No one is giving a thought on how old people will walk long, CP roads are not friendly to them and why the agency is harassing our customers in the name of Pedestrianisation and to make the area “Happy Zone”, will it work,” said NDTA member. “The crime rate will increase indeed as local transportation is not suitable for CP customers,” he added.
The project was discussed on January 5 this year in a meeting of NDMC officials, chaired by Naidu. And it was officially announced that to make Connaught Place area pedestrian friendly, cars and buses will not be allowed in the middle and inner circle.
Meanwhile, UDM officials claimed that the three-month “pedestrianisation” of the area, which has the city’s most recognisable heritage structures, will test the effects on traffic, management of reclaimed parking lots, and record the experience of the pedestrians and shop owners.
Earlier, NDMC chairman Naresh Kumar in a Press statement had said that the ban is part of a pilot “Smart City project” that will be launched next month.