Delhi traders urge police to freeze protests until November 11, citing ₹140 billion in festive-season losses

Delhi's Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner on November 3, urging a halt to rallies, sit-ins and protest marches at major locations in the capital until November 11, the festival of Bhaiya Dooj. The traders' body said repeated demonstrations during the festive shopping season had cost businesses an estimated ₹14,000 crore (about ₹140 billion). The letter is a request to police, not an official ban; any restrictions will depend on decisions by the competent authorities.

The body's three demands

First, prohibit rallies and demonstrations at Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Ramlila Maidan and India Gate, as well as other parts of Central and Old Delhi, until November 11. Second, move rallies and demonstrations to alternative locations, including Burari, Alipur, Jasola and Yamuna Khadar. Third, ensure smoother traffic movement and adequate parking in Central Delhi. CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said the coming days are crucial for around two million traders and 7.5 million employees linked to commercial establishments in the capital: Dhanteras falls on November 6, Diwali on November 8 and Bhaiya Dooj on November 11.

Loss figures are the body's estimates, not independently verified

The CTI's estimates break down as about ₹3,000 crore in losses between October 1 and 30 from demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, Connaught Place, Patel Chowk and Janpath, and a further ₹11,000 crore attributed to the November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan — ₹8,800 crore in retail and wholesale trade, ₹1,500 crore in transport and logistics, ₹500 crore in hotels, restaurants, hospitality and tourism, and ₹200 crore in the informal sector and daily-wage work. The body also claimed around 250,000 shops remained shut on the rally day, bringing nearly 80% of commercial activity in the affected markets to a standstill, and that about two million daily-wage workers, including loaders, auto-rickshaw drivers, street vendors and porters, lost earnings. The report notes these figures are CTI estimates and have not been independently established.

The CTI said the rally affected commercial areas including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Khari Baoli, Daryaganj, Paharganj, Karol Bagh, Connaught Place and Palika Bazaar, that shoppers from neighbouring cities cancelled plans because of congestion, and that the movement of goods was disrupted, with around 5,000 trucks arriving daily from 56 industrial areas and another 3,000 carrying goods out of Delhi. Goyal warned that traders might be compelled to hand over their shop keys to protest organisers if businesses continued to suffer losses.

Source: Asian News International (ANI) via News Ei Samay (November 3, 2026). (File photo: a New Delhi street scene.)