BRICS Summit Security Curbs Leave Delhi Street Vendors Without Daily Earnings

Roadside vendors and hawkers along routes linked to the BRICS Summit in New Delhi have been asked by the Delhi Police to keep their stalls shut for security reasons, leaving many daily earners without work through the summit period. Several vendors said the instruction was conveyed verbally and that no written orders were handed to them.

The summit is being held over three days, and security arrangements have been put in place along routes identified for VIP movement and stays. In parts of Janpath, a key route, vendors said the restrictions have been in force since Monday, September 7, and that they were asked to remain closed till Sunday, September 13.

Suraj Kumar, 33, who travels to Connaught Place from Narela, is paid ₹500 a day by the owner of the stall he works at. Since Monday, he said, he has been able to put up only half his stall. "The owner is paying me now only ₹250, and for the next three days I won't even get that," he said.

On Thursday, the usually crowded inner lane of Janpath Market was largely silent. Stalls selling clothes, accessories and jewellery were packed and covered, with no goods on display. "Police said these markets are where crowds gather, so they can only open on Monday and have been closed for the past three days," said Mohan, a guard sitting near the covered stalls.

For Simran Khakhodiya, 31, and Ashwin, 27, who sell lehengas in Gujarati Lane, the closure cuts into the week's most important trading days. "Our earnings through the week just double on the weekend," they said. "There were restrictions when a student protest was on and the market was shut, and now roadside vendors have been asked to shut again. Whatever they say, we have to follow. These restrictions hit people who depend on daily earnings."

Mohammed Hayat, a member of the New Delhi Municipal Council's Town Vending Committee, said vendors had mostly been informed about the restrictions verbally, and that in some parts of Janpath they had been in effect since Monday. "Since it is for security reasons along all the routes and hotels related to the BRICS Summit, we cannot say anything. A daily earner is going to be impacted by even a day's earnings gone," he said. He added that the restrictions should be lifted on Monday, as communicated, rather than extended further.

For Ramkumar Singh, 50, who travels from Paharganj to set up a small snacks stall, the closure will mean a loss of about ₹3,000. "We have everyday spending of ₹200-250, with a family of five. Even a day's loss hits us," he said. "I have also been asked to close. I don't set up shop anywhere else, so I will just sit at home, what else?"

Amit, 33, who runs a roadside jewellery and stone stall with two partners, estimated their combined loss at ₹25,000-30,000.

The restrictions have not affected all traders in the area in the same way. The New Delhi Traders' Association said the Connaught Place market would remain open throughout the summit, though customers have been advised to follow traffic restrictions while travelling to the area. The Janpath Traders Association also said shops in the market would remain open.

Ashok Grover, 70, who owns a shop in the area, said he could open but had decided against it because he expected little business. "All routes to here are restricted. How will people even show up? Better to stay at home, and save on commute and the shop's electricity bill," he said. A local food outlet owner in Connaught Place said they had received no instructions to shut and would keep the shop open.

Street vending in Delhi is regulated under the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Act, 2014, which requires urban local bodies to set up town vending committees, including elected vendor representatives, to oversee vending and safeguard livelihoods. Restrictions imposed for security during large events often fall hardest on those who earn by the day and have no alternative source of income.