Residents flock to popular bazars on last weekend before New Year

Gearing up for the New Year, residents across the Capital turned up in large numbers at prominent markets and restaurants over the weekend to avail of discounts and do their year-end shopping.

- Varun Bhandari

Market associations have also stocked up, anticipating the increased festive demand, but some complained of low gains, despite the heavy footfall.

"We have observed over and above crowd during Christmas around Connaught Place but that necessarily has not converted to sales for all, but we are hoping that sales will increase overall in the coming days," Vikas Bhadhwar, general secretary, New Delhi traders' association, said. Bhadhwar suggested that the parking arrangements needed to improve to cater to increasing footfall.

Most popular hubs, however, were packed to the brim on Sunday. "We have seen very good response this festive season as the discounts are good across the market and most of the shops are putting out good sale numbers," Nitin Gupta, president of Kamla Nagar traders' association, said.