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Palika Note: 02 July 2002; Rakesh Kumar Singh
I have been going to the Palika Bazar for the last few days. Here i am going to share the experience which I got there. Please give your remaks on this.
"Kya janana chahte hain aap Paika ke bare me? bataiye main kya sewa kar sakta hun isme aapki? Bas ye samajh lo bhai sahab ki sanjay gandhi dilli ko kutch
de gaya ........ Aapko pata hona chahiye ki ye hindustan ka pahala under ground market hai. Lekin hindustan ke sarkari dafteron ke bare mein to aapko
to pata hi hoga, ye bharat sarkar ke adhikrit bhrastachar ke thikane hain. Aur yahi karan hia ki aaj palika ki halat bilkul khasta ho ho chuki hai. kai
bar to aisa hota hai ki din mein kai kai ghante tak AC band pari rahti hai. Pharsh jagah-jagah se tute pade hain ......" said Ashokji in one go.
Ashokji, 45, is a shop keeper there. After a little pause he starts talking oabout the things with which the market deals in. "You know, when the market
has come into exhistance, every one was crazy. People from all walks of life used to come here. although it was meant for the video and electronics goods,
but people used to get various household goods, cloths and carpets", says he.
The Palika bazar was one of the few carpet markets in Delhi in the seventies and early seventies. Till the late ninties and early seventies It was the most desired shopping
center, especially for the tourists. Foreigners, particularly the Russians used to come in huge numbers for the knitwears. Basically, the Russians were directly involved in the knitwear trade with the palika bazar. But after the disintegeration of the USSR, the things have changed. Now they have established direct links with the factories and export houses in Ludhiana, Punjab. And thus the Russian component is out from the market. "As far as the foreigner of other countries are concerned, they were harassed enough for not coming here", says Ashokji. Bargainig, push and pull with the coustomers and the ill behaviour of the shopkeepers have forced the tourists to not look
back again. Rajeev, a book shop owner is fully agree with this point. In addition he says, " this happens, because we have neither any system nor the marketing ethics. It is free for all here." He further says, " Yow know, right now tthe number of unauthorised shopkeepers are more than the authorised. But I tell you, I will not give you the names because there is a rampant GOONDAGADI here. And the people who use to harass the coustomers have the patronage of those Dada Log." He has the story of those dadas also. This is a direct result of the coruppt NDMC officials, who allows to remain the unauthorised shopkeepers. " You will find a person siting with a small
counter in a corner of every shop with cheap electronic goods. You know, how much they pay for that ? Anything between four to eight thousand. Some of them pay 10 thousand or even more. (One shop owner pays Rs. 30, 000, but he is not in the category of corner counters). And these are the persons, who have made the lives of coustomers miserable."
Rajeev, who got the possesion of his shop in October 1978, started a book shop in Jan. 1979. He is one of 79 shop keepers who came here under the rehabilitation plan of the NDMC from the Panch Kuian Road. Originally there was only two kinds of shop keepers here, first, the panch kuian people and second, who got shops through the open tenders. Initially, the former has been given the lease for five years, which got renued after every five year accodingly upto 1991 with the increment of 10% in the original rent. The increment formula was same for the allotees also till 1991. After that the rent increment critera has changed, now it is 30% after every five year.
Rajeev says, "it came into nitice that the NDMC is planning to increase rent 10% annually." However, the case of Rajeev's shop is different. As I have earlier told you that he is one of those who got the lease in 1978. But he had some conflict with the NDMC, therefore he paid only half of the initially fixed rent Rs. 2460 per month upto 1998. Now his conflict has been resolved. He recalls a strike in 1991-92 against the 30% rent hike. "Nothing happened after that strike except a two- three member committee made by the NDMC to look into the mater", says rajeev. As far as strike is concerned, it happens every now and then. For example, the association had called a strike for the AC two weeks ago. How do you survive with youir shops in the Palika? "Bhai sahab pichle pachas salon se hamara yahi kam hai. Mai khud isme bais salon se laga hun." What he told me that he can not do fraud, cheat coustomers and do all unethical things. Therefore he is in the book business. Now come to the vedio and CD section. At the very first day Ashokji told me that "Palika matlab vedio, CD", which I knew fom earlier. I was just roaming around the VCD shops upstairs. A facilitator (means sells boy. i am using this word because they really facilitate the coustomers) asked me to go to his shop. " aa jao bhai sahab. X, XX, XXX, Hindi, English: kya cahiye?" At the next shop, " pachas rupaye mein mil jayega, bolo to dikhaun? Disgusting, really disgusting it was. After completing a round I went to a shop, and met
a person Sanjay. He was a man of his own. He speakes with full vulgarity. "Bhai sahab main ne yahan 10/- rupye roj par naukari shuru ki thi aur aaj ye dukan meri hai. Hai koi sal... yahan? Ban..... paise ke lie to main kutch bhi kar sakta hun." I spent more than 2 hours with him and observed the activities like visiting of coustomers, attitude of the shopkeepers towards the coustomers and the way they deal with the coustomers. The most important thing I have noticed there is the bargainig. It is unlimited bargaining there. According to Rajeev, one can get a VCD for Rs. 150 while another will get it only in Rs. 40. So all this is based on one's bargaining capacity.
Rajeev says, " almost every shop owner has his own recording unit. Where he makes recorings of VCDs and all. The total cost of a recorded VCD is not more
than Rs. 25-30 for the shop keepers, which they sold at huge price." In fact, the entire palika market is full of pirated materials. Now it is the only
centre of the pirated cds and other electronics goods in the north India.
My Palika visits are still going on, so whenever I get any thing I will let you know.
"Kya janana chahte hain aap Paika ke bare me? bataiye main kya sewa kar sakta hun isme aapki? Bas ye samajh lo bhai sahab ki sanjay gandhi dilli ko kutch
de gaya ........ Aapko pata hona chahiye ki ye hindustan ka pahala under ground market hai. Lekin hindustan ke sarkari dafteron ke bare mein to aapko
to pata hi hoga, ye bharat sarkar ke adhikrit bhrastachar ke thikane hain. Aur yahi karan hia ki aaj palika ki halat bilkul khasta ho ho chuki hai. kai
bar to aisa hota hai ki din mein kai kai ghante tak AC band pari rahti hai. Pharsh jagah-jagah se tute pade hain ......" said Ashokji in one go.
Ashokji, 45, is a shop keeper there. After a little pause he starts talking oabout the things with which the market deals in. "You know, when the market
has come into exhistance, every one was crazy. People from all walks of life used to come here. although it was meant for the video and electronics goods,
but people used to get various household goods, cloths and carpets", says he.
The Palika bazar was one of the few carpet markets in Delhi in the seventies and early seventies. Till the late ninties and early seventies It was the most desired shopping
center, especially for the tourists. Foreigners, particularly the Russians used to come in huge numbers for the knitwears. Basically, the Russians were directly involved in the knitwear trade with the palika bazar. But after the disintegeration of the USSR, the things have changed. Now they have established direct links with the factories and export houses in Ludhiana, Punjab. And thus the Russian component is out from the market. "As far as the foreigner of other countries are concerned, they were harassed enough for not coming here", says Ashokji. Bargainig, push and pull with the coustomers and the ill behaviour of the shopkeepers have forced the tourists to not look
back again. Rajeev, a book shop owner is fully agree with this point. In addition he says, " this happens, because we have neither any system nor the marketing ethics. It is free for all here." He further says, " Yow know, right now tthe number of unauthorised shopkeepers are more than the authorised. But I tell you, I will not give you the names because there is a rampant GOONDAGADI here. And the people who use to harass the coustomers have the patronage of those Dada Log." He has the story of those dadas also. This is a direct result of the coruppt NDMC officials, who allows to remain the unauthorised shopkeepers. " You will find a person siting with a small
counter in a corner of every shop with cheap electronic goods. You know, how much they pay for that ? Anything between four to eight thousand. Some of them pay 10 thousand or even more. (One shop owner pays Rs. 30, 000, but he is not in the category of corner counters). And these are the persons, who have made the lives of coustomers miserable."
Rajeev, who got the possesion of his shop in October 1978, started a book shop in Jan. 1979. He is one of 79 shop keepers who came here under the rehabilitation plan of the NDMC from the Panch Kuian Road. Originally there was only two kinds of shop keepers here, first, the panch kuian people and second, who got shops through the open tenders. Initially, the former has been given the lease for five years, which got renued after every five year accodingly upto 1991 with the increment of 10% in the original rent. The increment formula was same for the allotees also till 1991. After that the rent increment critera has changed, now it is 30% after every five year.
Rajeev says, "it came into nitice that the NDMC is planning to increase rent 10% annually." However, the case of Rajeev's shop is different. As I have earlier told you that he is one of those who got the lease in 1978. But he had some conflict with the NDMC, therefore he paid only half of the initially fixed rent Rs. 2460 per month upto 1998. Now his conflict has been resolved. He recalls a strike in 1991-92 against the 30% rent hike. "Nothing happened after that strike except a two- three member committee made by the NDMC to look into the mater", says rajeev. As far as strike is concerned, it happens every now and then. For example, the association had called a strike for the AC two weeks ago. How do you survive with youir shops in the Palika? "Bhai sahab pichle pachas salon se hamara yahi kam hai. Mai khud isme bais salon se laga hun." What he told me that he can not do fraud, cheat coustomers and do all unethical things. Therefore he is in the book business. Now come to the vedio and CD section. At the very first day Ashokji told me that "Palika matlab vedio, CD", which I knew fom earlier. I was just roaming around the VCD shops upstairs. A facilitator (means sells boy. i am using this word because they really facilitate the coustomers) asked me to go to his shop. " aa jao bhai sahab. X, XX, XXX, Hindi, English: kya cahiye?" At the next shop, " pachas rupaye mein mil jayega, bolo to dikhaun? Disgusting, really disgusting it was. After completing a round I went to a shop, and met
a person Sanjay. He was a man of his own. He speakes with full vulgarity. "Bhai sahab main ne yahan 10/- rupye roj par naukari shuru ki thi aur aaj ye dukan meri hai. Hai koi sal... yahan? Ban..... paise ke lie to main kutch bhi kar sakta hun." I spent more than 2 hours with him and observed the activities like visiting of coustomers, attitude of the shopkeepers towards the coustomers and the way they deal with the coustomers. The most important thing I have noticed there is the bargainig. It is unlimited bargaining there. According to Rajeev, one can get a VCD for Rs. 150 while another will get it only in Rs. 40. So all this is based on one's bargaining capacity.
Rajeev says, " almost every shop owner has his own recording unit. Where he makes recorings of VCDs and all. The total cost of a recorded VCD is not more
than Rs. 25-30 for the shop keepers, which they sold at huge price." In fact, the entire palika market is full of pirated materials. Now it is the only
centre of the pirated cds and other electronics goods in the north India.
My Palika visits are still going on, so whenever I get any thing I will let you know.