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DELHI HIGH COURT SHUTS DOWN THE PATRI KITAB BAZAAR AT DARYA GANJ MARKET
The Daryaganj Sunday Book Market isn't the kind of market you're used to seeing in Delhi, so don't go there awaiting large stores with books on show in glass boxes and helpful staff looking for the books and novels you want. The fresh and old novels are stacked up on the pavements quite neatly so that you can readily peruse through all the titles. One of the vendors who is the president of Daryaganj Patri Sunday Book Bazaar Welfare Association of Patri Kitab Market at the Dayraganj, Delhi said “Set up amidst the historical buildings of the capital, this market is historically significant in its own right. People from various towns, cities, and countries visit the market, they stroll through the streets in search of books, and are absolutely delighted when they find what they’ve been looking for.” Let's hope they aren't popular last words because the Kitab Bazar, referred to many as Daryaganj's Sunday book market, is under menace.
Last week, The Delhi High Court directed the North Delhi Municipal Corporation that there will be no more weekly markets on Sundays are permitted on NS Marg. They said that they have stopped bringing the fresh stock since the court order, but they don’t have any other option if they are indeed removed from the stretch. The vendors also said that we have been working here .from decades with the permission of North Delhi Municipal Corporation. The Court simplify that from now onwards there will be no weekly bazaar shall be permitted taking into an account a concreted stand of all community agencies and Delhi traffic Police who said that at no stage after the year 2005 was permission granted to have a weekly bazaar on NS Marg. The police and Corporation informed the court that from now onwards area has been declared as no – squatting and no- hawking zone, the reason behind that is it is a very busy road and there is extremely high traffic on roads all the times. The court observed that any permission to vend there unfavourably affects the free flow of traffic as no area is left for pedestrians. If the weekly bazaar is permitted, pedestrians would be forced to walk on the road. Almost, the customers park their vehicles on the main road adding to the blockage.
The Market had been shut down once in the year 1990, but it was restarted after a public movement. That time one of the vendors has expressed disappointment over the shutdown and they have hope that the government will not close the book market. From Now onwards, The Book shops in that area will remain open, but the market put on roads will not be working anymore.
The Delhi high court had earlier ordered the closing of the market following which the NMC called for its full shut down. But now this time the Delhi High Court has confirmed the shutting of the Patri Kitab Market, at Dayraganj today.
