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Delhi Protests Cost Traders ₹3,000 Crore in October, CTI Says, Demanding Protest Ban Until Diwali
The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) says repeated protests have cost Delhi traders an estimated ₹3,000 crore in October, with 700+ markets hit and retail alone losing ₹1,800 crore. Chairman Brijesh Goyal warns losses could cross ₹10,000 crore by Diwali if weekly protests continue, and has demanded a protest ban in Central Delhi through the festive season plus a relief package.
Why it matters
October is Delhi traders' single most important earning window — Navratri, Ramleela and Diwali in one stretch, the month retail and wholesale live on. But the CTI estimates this October's protests and blockades have already wiped out about ₹3,000 crore, and warns the tally could cross ₹10,000 crore by Diwali if demonstrations continue weekly. Beyond the headline number: frozen supply chains, festival stock stranded in warehouses, and informal workers going without pay.
Full report
According to CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal, the October 10 protest alone cost about ₹2,000 crore in business; the Central Delhi blockade, metro closure and Central Park shutdown from October 13–16 added another ₹1,000 crore. More than 700 markets have been affected, including Sadar Bazar, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh and Connaught Place.
By sector: retail absorbed the largest share at about ₹1,800 crore; wholesale trade lost about ₹600 crore as an estimated 3–4 lakh wholesale buyers from Sonipat, Panipat, Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida, Ghaziabad and Rajasthan stayed away; hospitality and services about ₹300 crore; transport, auto-taxi and tourism about ₹180 crore; informal workers — daily wagers, artisans and loading workers — about ₹120 crore.
"Navratri, Ramleela and Diwali are the only month for us to earn for the whole year. If protests continue every week, the loss will cross ₹10,000 crore by Diwali," Goyal said. The CTI has written to the Home Minister demanding a complete ban on protests in Central Delhi, New Delhi and the Lutyens' Zone through Diwali, dedicated protest zones in outer Delhi localities such as Burari, Rohini and Dwarka, a relief package covering the ₹3,000 crore in losses with exemptions from electricity bills, water charges and GST, and police security to keep markets open instead of pressuring shopkeepers to shut. The figures are CTI industry estimates, not government-audited data.
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