New Delhi: The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Tuesday, November 3, wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner demanding that no rallies, sit-ins or protest marches be permitted at major locations in the national capital until November 11, the day of Bhaiya Dooj, news agency IANS reported.

Source: IANS via HiIndia

In its letter, the traders' body asked police not to grant permission for such events at Connaught Place, Jantar Mantar, Ramlila Maidan, India Gate, Rajghat and Delhi Gate, and in parts of Central and Old Delhi, until the festive period concludes, Mirror Now reported.

Source: Mirror Now

Rs 14,000 crLoss CTI estimates for Oct 1–Nov 1 (yaani about $1.55 billion)
Rs 11,000 crLoss CTI attributes to the Nov 1 Ramlila Maidan rally alone
Nov 11Date till which CTI wants protests barred (Bhaiya Dooj)

What is solid

  • CTI wrote to the Delhi Police Commissioner on November 3 seeking no permission for rallies, sit-ins and protests till November 11
  • Dhanteras falls on November 6, Diwali on November 8 and Bhaiya Dooj on November 11

What is only claimed

  • CTI's estimate of Rs 14,000 crore in losses over the past month, and Rs 10,000–11,000 crore from the November 1 rally alone — the Congress has disputed these figures

Festive season at stake, says CTI

CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said traders had already suffered substantial losses due to rallies and sit-ins and were no longer in a position to bear further disruption during the peak festive shopping season, IANS reported. According to the CTI, frequent demonstrations at Jantar Mantar, Connaught Place, Patel Chowk and Janpath through October caused persistent traffic congestion in Central Delhi.

The demand is the latest step in a row that began before the INDIA bloc's November 1 rally at Ramlila Maidan, when the CTI had urged the Opposition to postpone the event until after Diwali, and continued after it, when the body estimated that around 2.5 lakh of nearly three lakh shops across 20 to 25 major markets had stayed shut on rally day. The Congress has disputed the loss claims, with senior leader Jairam Ramesh alleging that a false narrative was spread to discredit the rally — the loss figures remain the traders' body's estimates, not independently verified totals.

There was no immediate word from Delhi Police on whether the request will be accepted. The CTI said the impact of the disruptions fell particularly hard on workers from economically weaker sections who depend on daily market activity.