Gurugram’s 10-year-old Banjara Market to shut down, 2,000+ sellers stare at losses

Gurugram's Banjara Market was set up over 15 years ago by members of the Gadiya Lohar community. Spread over a 25-acre area in Sector 56, this was home to over 2,000 Gadiya Lohars (a nomadic community originally hailing from Chittorgarh, Rajasthan). Now, it is now on the verge of a shutdown.

Famous for affordable home decor and furniture items, these shanties were first set up on the roadside. According to sources, they encroached 25 acres of land in the process and despite repeated notices, the land was not vacated by the sellers.

Earlier this month, the enforcement team of Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP), in the presence of the local police force, demolished about 80 percent of this market. The rest of the sellers have been given the notice to vacate the land within the next few days.

The shops, most of which sold furniture and traditional handicrafts, had been set up over the past 15 years. Now, faced with a shut down, the shopkeepers are going over a distress sale. Otherwise, the festive season has been the primary source of their income for years.

Houses and savings destroyed

Pana Devi, a shopkeeper said, “We had saved furniture and household items for our daughter's marriage, but they destroyed that too. Now, we don’t have enough money to buy things again. We slept in the rain the night before; our houses are no more. Often, we have to ask for food at the traffic lights.”

According to sources, the shopkeepers and residents received multiple notices over the last month asking them to vacate the land. The area where the market has been operating is allegedly earmarked for the construction of a college, a bus stand, and group housing societies. A part of the plot has also been allotted to the Income Tax department.

(Despite multiple attempts, SocialStory received no specific comment from the authorities on this matter.)

But, the residents and shopkeepers who have made a living here, feel they are being shortchanged.

"Humko sirf baithne ki jagah chahiye, aur kuch nahi chahiye sarkar se.. Sirf thodi jagah de do warna bachhe kaise paalengey hum. Ab toh Rajasthan bhi wapas nahi ja sakte, 50 saal hogaye Rajasthan chodey hue," said Anil, a shopkeeper.

[We only need space to sit and operate our business. We do not want anything else from the government, just a place to set up our shop. Otherwise, how will we feed and raise our children? We cannot go back to Rajasthan too. It has been 50 years since we left Rajasthan.]

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COVID-19 and demolition

Last year, the pandemic-induced lockdown also led to heavy losses for the market. The second wave was no better.

This year, ahead of the festive season, some had taken loans to buy more products even as a few are already busy clearing the debt they had to take to feed their families during the lockdown.

Sagar, a shopkeeper, said, “Diwali is the peak time for our sale. We used to make Rs 1,000-5,000 per day during the festive season. Before COVID-19, we earned around Rs 15,000 per month. Now, earning enough money for two meals seems impossible.”

Several shopkeepers said that they were promised another space for their setup, but there is no update on that.

Earlier, they were given time till Diwali, but with the sudden and partial demolition, that looks difficult.