Khari Baoli labourers in despair after note ban hits income

Pictures: Vivan Mehra

In the heart of India's capital lies Asia's largest spice market, Khari Baoli. According to history, the market in Old Delhi is four centuries old, estimated to have started around the 1700s.

 On a normal day, trade worth millions take place with over thousands of traders gathering every day. But many daily laborers currently earn half of what they did two months ago due to cash shortage, often sitting idle.

A drop in sales have also forced many wholesalers to relocate to Sonipat and Kundli in Haryana. The income of daily labourers has also gone down.

Spices, dry fruits, tea and ayurvedic herbs are sourced locally and from exotic destinations to Khari Baoli. But, trade has dipped due to the cash crunch. Many daily laborers earn half of what they did two months.

Overcrowded roads and leaking drains have turned the area into an unhygienic mess.

Frustrated traders in the market expressed helplessness at the apathy of the state government, which earns revenue of 300 crore, and does nothing to save the market.