IndiaPosted at: Oct 10 2026 12:05AM


Trade associations urge political parties, say festive business season must not become casualty of demonstrations

New Delhi, Oct 9 (UNI) Leading trade associations of Delhi have appealed to all political parties to refrain from political demonstrations, road blockades and traffic disruptions that could affect commercial activities in the capital during the upcoming festive and wedding season, causing unnecessary hardship to traders, employees and the general public.
Praveen Khandelwal, National Secretary General of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), on Friday said that period from October 2026 to January 2027 is the most important business season of the year for the national capital, and during this phase, the city’s estimated daily trade turnover stands at Rs 500– Rs 600 crore.
If access to markets is disrupted due to political demonstrations, traffic jams or restrictions, an estimated Rs 250 crore worth of daily business could be adversely affected in the major commercial areas of Old Delhi and New Delhi alone.
He said that such disruptions would directly affect millions of traders, employees, transport operators, supply chains and consumers, and urged all political parties to respect democratic rights while planning their programmes in a manner that does not disrupt commercial activities.
According to the trade associations, Delhi has more than 10 lakh business establishments, providing livelihoods to over one crore people.
The associations emphasized that any disruption in access to major markets would affect not only traders but also the incomes of employees, small business owners, transport operators, suppliers and other service providers.
Expressing concern over the potential impact on business, representatives of several prominent trade associations in Delhi stated that any obstruction to the movement of people and vehicles in markets during the festive season could seriously affect commercial activities in their respective areas.
The appeal has been endorsed by prominent trade leaders and associations in Delhi, including Atul Bhargava, President, New Delhi Traders Association; Sanjeev Mehra, President, Khan Market Traders Association; Vijay Gupta, President, Delhi Iron and Hardware Merchants Association; Ashish Grover, General Secretary, Delhi Drug Dealers Association; Gopal Garg, President, Cloth Market Fatehpuri; Ajay Sharma, President, Delhi Electrical Merchants Association; Deepak Sachdeva, President, Delhi Scooter Traders Association; Rajiv Batra, President, Rajdhani Cycle Dealers Association; Pradeep Jindal, Delhi Grain Merchants Association; Ganga Bishan Gupta, President, Kirana Committee; Dilip Bindal, Former President, Paper Merchants Association and several others.
The associations appealed to political parties to exercise their democratic right to protest while ensuring that demonstrations remain confined to designated locations and limited durations.
In a joint statement they have expressed, “Politics has its own place, and business has its own. The right to protest is an important pillar of democracy; however, it should not come at the cost of the livelihoods of millions of traders and employees or crores of rupees in daily economic activity.” UNI APS CDS
Tags: #Trade associations urge political parties# say festive business season must not become casualty of demonstrations
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