Time up for Banjara Market, popular destination for furniture hunters

Gurgaon: An enforcement team of the Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) on Tuesday began razing stalls and slums at Banjara Market near Golf Course Road, a popular destination to buy decorative items and furniture.
The sellers — mainly from the community of Gadiya Lohars, a nomadic tribe in Rajasthan that gave the market its name — had set up shanties and shops on the roadside about 15 years ago, encroaching nearly 25 acres of HSVP land in the process.
Apart from the HSVP team, 200 cops were deployed for the demolition drive that started around 11am and ended at 5pm. Sub-divisional officer (survey), estate office-2, HSVP, Satyanarain, said the drive went off peacefully. Most of the jhuggies and shops were razed whi-le the service road was cleared of encroachments too, he added.
“We had issued notices to sellers to vacate the land earlier. Most of them had not removed items from their stalls when the demolition started on Tuesday, but started moving their belongings to trucks once the drive began. Others have sought two days’ time. Thereafter, the remaining encroachments will be cleared,” said the SDO.
According to officials, slums came up on land close to the Rapid Metro yard more than a decade ago. Gradually, the number of jhuggies increased and the inhabitants set up small shops in the service road that runs from the Botanical Garden intersection to Golf Course Road. Over the years, the market grew in size and popularity. HSVP officials alleged musclemen from adjoining villages grabbed the land, set up jhuggies and shops and even leased out space to earn hefty profits.
The land in question had been earmarked for a college, bus stand and group housing societies as per the Authority’s plan, said Jitender Gandhi, estate officer-2, HSVP. A portion was also allotted to the income-tax department for group housing for its officials, he added. “No encroachment will be allowed on HSVP land,” said Gandhi.
Worried sellers, meanwhile, said they were only just beginning to recover from losses suffered due to the pandemic, but would lose their livelihoods now.
Pushpa Devi, who has been running a stall at the market for the past 10 years, said she and her family have no place to go. “We were only doing our work… no one cares for the poor,” she said, adding that she had taken a loan to buy items for the upcoming festive season.
Prashant Kumar, another seller, said, “Policemen had been asking us to vacate for the past one month but as no action was taken for weeks, we relaxed a bit. Most of us purchased new stocks in anticipation of the rush during Durga Puja and Diwali. Now, we are staring at uncertainty.”
Another shopkeeper urged the HSVP to lease out space so that they can continue selling their wares at the market.
Some residents TOI spoke expressed disappointment. “The market had become very popular and was one of the highlights of the city. The Authority should relocate them and regularise the market,” said Rohit Khanwilkar, who lives in Sector 50.