‘Livelihood is my right’: Delhi businesses count cost of protests, police restrictions

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SINGAPORE/NEW DELHI: For more than seven decades, Sarthi Sawhney's family-run shawl store, located near Jantar Mantar, a prominent demonstration venue in central Delhi, has weathered countless protests - with little disruption to business.

But last weekend was different.

Days of unrest forced KCS Kashmir Shawl Emporium, which opened in 1950, to shut on Saturday (Oct 10), Sawhney said. 

Thousands of police and paramilitary personnel were deployed ahead of youth-led protests demanding the resignation of India's chief election commissioner over alleged electoral roll irregularities. 

Police cited public safety concerns, violations during previous demonstrations and insufficient notice for the rally as reasons for the heightened security. 

Roads were blocked by layers of barricades - with widespread traffic disruptions and internet blackouts also reported. 

Saturday’s rally was said to be the biggest yet, according to organisers.

While it is not known how many people ultimately took part, more than 7,000 were detained across Delhi by the end of the day, according to local media reports.

Businesses across Connaught Place, Janpath and Khan Market in central New Delhi reported sharp falls in sales and customer footfall following the weekend protests, said traders.

Atul Bhargava, president of the New Delhi Traders Association (NDTA), told CNA that businesses around Connaught Place, one of Delhi's busiest commercial and shopping districts, made roughly 30 per cent of their usual sales in the days following the protests.

He attributed the drop to road blocks and advisories discouraging people from visiting the area.

Businesses elsewhere in the capital remained open - but few received customers. 

The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), a Delhi traders’ body, estimates that 20 billion rupees (US$210 million) worth of business, across sectors like retail, hospitality, transport and tourism, had been affected on Oct 10. 

The disruption also comes at a particularly critical time, as India gears up for the festive shopping period stretching from Navratri on Oct 11 through the end of Diwali festivities on Nov 11.

Barricades and metro station closures in demonstration areas could affect businesses during one of the biggest earning periods of the year, experts said. 

“Now is a time when we make money for the next six months,” said Sanjiv Mehra, president of the Khan Market Traders Association (KMTA) - adding that festive sales help businesses make up for periods when demand is weaker.

Sawhney’s store reopened the next day, but customers still stayed away, he said - as barricades and road closures restricted access to the area.

“We opened the store but there was not going to be any commercial activity.” 

KNOCK ON EFFECTS

The protests and the Indian government’s security response have created an economic ripple effect - hitting shops, workers and drivers, trade bodies and businesses told CNA. 

The disruptions highlighted the challenge of balancing public order and the right to protest with people’s livelihoods, they said.

KMTA’s Mehra said sales remained depressed - even after some businesses reopened because customers were reluctant or unable to reach shopping areas like markets.

Opening without customers could actually deepen losses, he said - noting that shops still had to pay staff while bearing operational costs such as electricity, rent and water.

"If you don't open the shutter, then your damage would be rental plus the salary of the staff … Today any business in Khan Market is paying rental from 50,000 to 300,000 rupees per day," Mehra added.

The disruptions have also impacted transport workers in the capital. 

Ajay, an Uber driver who asked to be identified only by his first name, estimated that his earnings had halved as restrictions limited access to Connaught Place as well as other commercial areas and railway and metro stations, where he typically finds passengers.

“If roads are closed, then we suffer losses,” Ajay said.

Some business owners have questioned whether restrictions needed to be as extensive.

Sawhney said that protests around the Jantar Mantar protest site over the years had been a regular feature, without significantly affecting commercial footfall.

Businesses and food deliveries continued to operate despite demonstrations, he said. 

But this time, heavier police restrictions made his store difficult to access, he added.

Citing security concerns and insufficient notice, Delhi Police denied protesters permission to assemble at Jantar Mantar on Saturday and instead designated three alternative protest sites.

But road barricades and other restrictions remained in the vicinity for the rest of the weekend.

Organisers had criticised the move, saying that shifting protests away from Delhi's political centre would reduce their visibility. 

The disruption has even been felt away from central protest areas.

Restaurant chain owner Zachariah Jacob, whose Mahabelly branches are largely based in south Delhi - over 15km away from where the protests took place - still recorded a 30 per cent drop in business over the protest weekend.

More people stayed home because of uncertainty over restrictions and travel advisories, he said.

A representative of Nathu Sweets, founded in 1939, said that they had in fact seen “a spike in orders” during earlier protests in July, as people across India placed bulk food orders in support of protesters.

This time, however, wider restrictions and internet disruptions affected deliveries and customers' ability to reach its outlets, the representative said.

“Because the internet was shut (down), orders - via online delivery services - were shut for us,” the representative said, adding that “all other corporate orders” were also restricted because of areas being “cordoned off”.

Weekend revenue fell to around 20 per cent of its usual level, the representative said. 

DELICATE BALANCE 

Despite losses, several small businesses and traders said they still recognised the public’s right to protest. 

Their concern, however, was how that could co-exist with their right to earn a living.

“Protest is the right. I am not denying it. Livelihood is my right," NDTA’s Bhargava said, noting that businesses still face mounting costs. 

Business owners and traders themselves differ over whether Jantar Mantar remains a suitable site for protests.

While some said previous demonstrations held there caused relatively little disruption to nearby businesses, others argued that the site was unsuitable for large gatherings because of its limited capacity as well as proximity to offices, shops and other busy commercial areas.

But traders also fear that moving demonstrations elsewhere could simply shift the economic disruption to other parts of the capital like Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi, traditionally used for religious festivals, weddings and entertainment events. 

The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), for instance, has objected to Ramlila Maidan being used as a protest site because of its proximity to major Old Delhi commercial hubs, including Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazar and Chawri Bazar, it said in a statement on Monday.

Meanwhile, trade groups are taking their concerns to court this week - filing an intervention application on Monday to be heard before India’s Supreme Court to decide on issues surrounding Jantar Mantar and other protest sites.

Associations want protests moved away from areas where businesses and the wider public could be affected, KMTA’s Mehra said.

“I hope things get back to normalcy and better sense prevails on everybody,” said NDTA’s Bhargava - “whether it is the government, the opposition (or) authorities who are making decisions ... in the interest of everybody”.