With the Sunday book market at Daryaganj remaining shut for the fifth consecutive week, several vendors have taken to soliciting passers-by on the streets to clear their stocks.
Holding two large registers in his hands, Rajendra Kumar shouted “Want to buy books?”, every time someone passed by, as if he was dealing in contraband.
He would take interested customers to his warehouse nearby to browse through his selection.
“What can we do? The market has been ordered shut. We have not bought any new stock. I am just trying to sell off whatever is left now,” said Mr. Kumar.
Street vendors in the area, who would set up shop on Netaji Subhas Marg and the adjacent Asaf Ali Road have not been doing so ever since a High Court order vacated a stay on the area as a non-vending zone.
The order came following a submission by the police that the market disrupted traffic and was an impediment to pedestrians.
While the court order dealt only with Netaji Subhas Marg, vendors have not been setting up shops on the adjacent Asaf Ali Road either, effectively rendering the entire market shut, barring the brick and mortar stores.
Arif, who has been selling books here for the last 20 years, has set up his goods on a narrow stairway with a board reading ‘mobile repair shop’ in the front. “We are hopeful that the market will be opened again. This place is known for its book market. It would be good if we get to stay here,” he said.
Civic body officials have proposed three areas for relocation: Ramlila Maidan; near Hanuman Mandir; or near Chandni Chowk, said the president of the market associaton, Kamar Saeed.
The vendors do not want to shift as it would make the market untenable, he said, adding that a proposal to accommodate the vendors on Asaf Ali Road was also rejected as officials had told them that the stretch was a no-hawking zone.
The closing down of the market has also affected other shop owners in the area.
Retail store owner Ajay said that footfall to the area had fallen and his sales had taken a hit ever since the book market closed.
Market association members are now preparing to challenge the High Court order but are yet to reach a consensus among themselves on how to move forward.
