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The air pollution crisis in the national capital and surrounding region is bound to have an adverse impact on traders and shop owners, leading to an estimated substantial business loss of almost 20 per cent, said traders’ body Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) on Tuesday.
Small and medium enterprises, especially in markets such as Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Lajpat Nagar, Connaught Place, South Extension, Sadar Bazar, Kamla Nagar, Pitampura, etc., are expected to see a sharp fall in revenue due to fewer customer footfall and supply chain issues, according to CAIT.
Moreover, “seasonal businesses, particularly those relying on festivals and weddings stare at heavy losses as pollution curbs often coincide with peak sales periods.”
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Delhi Environment Minister Gopal Rai on Tuesday wrote to the centre to allow artificial rain in the city to tackle the thick smog shrouding the national capital. As per the data from the Central Pollution Control Board, Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was 460 at 4 pm on Tuesday — highest in the country — which may affect healthy people and seriously impact those with existing diseases.
Mizoram’s capital Aizawl had the cleanest air in the country with an AQI of 29 as of 4 pm on Tuesday.
Delhi’s Chief Minister Atishi on November 17 announced the discontinuation of physical classes for students till class 9 with the imposition of GRAP 4 rules, restricting entry and movement of commercial vehicles and advising offices in the NCR region to operate at 50 per cent capacity and allowing the remaining workforce to work from home.
CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said rising pollution levels deter consumers from venturing out, especially in crowded markets, leading to a significant decline in footfall.
“Measures like odd-even schemes and curbs on vehicular movement reduce accessibility to commercial areas, directly affecting businesses. Restrictions on diesel vehicles including trucks disrupt supply chains, delaying the transportation of goods to markets and increasing logistical costs. It may also adversely affect the supply of goods and services as Delhi is the largest centre of distributive trade in the country,” said Khandelwal.
He suggested the government to involve trade associations in decision-making to create balanced policies that minimize such disruptions and also urged for providing financial assistance or tax relief to affected businesses in order to help mitigate expected losses.
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