Nimbupani walas of Chandni Chowk are practically extinct

NEW DELHI: With increasing heat in the Capital, there is something which has changed in the five years. There were nearly 75 "nimbu-paniwalas" in the Chandni Chowk area some years back and now their number has dropped to only five. The bad quality water, the hygiene issue of the ice, the cost of lemon and other factors have taken away the customers from them to the packaged drinks.

"Earlier in Chandni Chowk, we were 75 people selling nimbupani but the business is dying every day. Now we are five people in this business," said Sunil Singh, a 23-year-old vendor who stands near the gurudwara of Chandni Chowk.

He explained that people are now more attracted towards cold-drinks and packaged water. "People think that we provide dirty water, which is not right but we do not use mineral water either. We use tap water but that is safe. The main problem is the quality of ice we get from the factories. These ice are made artificially that's why it is very bad in quality," Singh said.

Another vendor Subhas Sharma explained that the demonetisation affected the business much more than any other thing.

"We were facing loss but surviving somehow. But after demonetisation, our business died completely. Many of our friends shifted to other works and became labourers. But I continued with my business. But there is no change, in summer also people do not come to us," he said. Sharma added that earlier in the summer, he used to sell nearly 200 glasses of water but now it hardly reaches 50. "It is impossible to stand here the whole day under this sun," he said.

The experience of Suraj was different as he was a vendor who left the job and now works in a parantha shop of Chandi Chowk. He said that after demonetisation, his business collapsed and he also took many private loans which became impossible for him to repay. "If you buy a lemon it will cost you around Rs 5, then salt, water, ice, sugar, you cannot sell a glass of water in less than Rs 8. But people think that if they pay some more money, they will get cold drinks or mineral water, hence they do not come to us," he said.

There was a time in the city when these people were the lifesavers for many. But now they struggle to live a day. The business died keeping them clueless. At the same time, people are becoming more health conscious and looking for hygiene.