Delhi: Gandhi Nagar, international ready-made garments hub, battles basic issues
The area began as a residential neighbourhood, but in 20 years has transformed into arguably Asia’s largest hub of ready-made garments
Narrow, crowded lanes with a web of overhead hanging wires, lined up with shops selling just one commodity,clothes — all kinds, all sizes, variety of fabric, colours, make and prices. Welcome to east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar market, arguably Asia’s largest hub of readymade garments.
Several shop owners confirm that the market was started by a group of five businessmen who started the business of readymade garments from their shops, created as an extension of their homes, in 1972-73. They say it started out as an experiment since readymade garments weren’t very popular in the 70s. Most people would buy the fabric and get their clothes stitched.
“My father was one of the five traders who started shops here. He came here from Sadar Bazaar and started this shop in 1970. Our sales tax number dates to 1971. However, what began as an experiment quickly thrived into a popular business with the popularity of readymade garments picking up. Now, the business has gone international. We have exported to more than 20 countries that I can instantly think of,” said Lalit Suri,57, who graduated from Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce in 1971 and joined his father Kuldeep Suri’s business. They together run Pommy Garments, where they sell ladies wear such as kurtis, leggings, and suit sets.
Evolution of the hub
Gandhi Nagar, postal code Delhi - 110031, used to be a residential area till 1972-73. The first five shops that started in those years were soon joined by sellers from across the Yamuna who used to run shops in the weekly markets and sourced their garments from Gandhi Nagar. Eventually more traders, who usually sourced their stock from wholesale markets in Sadar Bazaar and Azad Market, joined in leading to business volume growing faster at Gandhi Nagar.
According to KK Balli, president of the market association, the relatively new market grabbed attention because the initial traders here worked hard to source garments from across the country, providing a huge variety to businesses in Delhi at their doorstep. “When a shop owner or trader comes here, he can collect all varieties of clothes from across the country in one carton, in one market and at the most reasonable rate. He will get the best cotton clothes from Kolkata (West Bengal) and Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu), woollens from Ludhiana (Punjab), chikankari kurtis from Lucknow (UP), textile and hosiery from Gujarat and all kinds of readymade garments from any part of the country,” said Balli.
By 1975-76, traders in Gandhi Nagar were providing readymade clothing from Kolkata and hosiery from Ludhiana to traders in Delhi and neighbouring areas by sourcing it directly from suppliers, which helped them keep the prices low. A host of garment businessmen from Ludhiana, a huge textile and garment hub in north India, migrated to Gandhi Nagar in the 1980s during the insurgency in Punjab.
“Traders from Assam also came here. Migrations enriched Gandhi Nagar with people who were involved in garments business for decades,” said Ved Prakash, one of the biggest and oldest businessmen in Gandhi Market and specialises in men’s garments.
Ved Prakash, shifted to Gandhi Nagar with his two brothers, from Panipat in Haryana,with their parents in 1958. The family started selling coal from their house in Gandhi Nagar, and then started a flour mill, later a grocery shop and then began the readymade garments business.
Shopkeepers in the area say that most of the fabric from Tiruppur comes to his shop first before going to any other market across the country. Tiruppur is the leading source of hosiery, knitted garments, casual wear and sportswear.
Soon, Gandhi Nagar replaced the older hubs of Sadar Bazar for traders from across the country who sourced garments from Delhi. Hundreds of small shopkeepers based out of tier 2 and tier 3 towns around Delhi also started flocking to Gandhi Nagar, mostly because of the sheer variety and attractive prices. As demand quickly outran supply, many businessmen diversified into manufacturing.
“Most of the cotton clothes were sourced from Mangla Haat in Kolkata. But soon, the manufacturers there could not keep up with the rising demand. Production in the 70s and 80s was slow. I have seen traders who would spend two days in Delhi and the rest of the days in the week travelling. They would board a Rajdhani from Delhi and reach Kolkata, buy clothes and return the next day. On the third day, they would sell off their entire stock in a day, and then board the train again the next day for Kolkata,” said Balli.
By early 1990s, Gandhi Nagar, once a residential colony, completely turned into Asia’s largest readymade garments market with over 14,000 shops and 5,000 manufacturing units. Several people who started out selling garments have now turned manufactures with some running their factories in Gandhi Nagar only, and same having their units on outskirts of Delhi such as Tronica City and Noida Sector 63.
Scale of operations
Traders say that while there has never been any quantification of the business numbers, the shops across the market do business of over ₹250-300 crore per day. This is even after most shop owners said that business is down by 60-70% since the Covid-19 pandemic. After the shops mushroomed by late 90s, several transporters also started setting up within Gandhi Nagar. As of now, there are over 50 transport companies running their operations from Gandhi Market.
“For most of the wholesale orders, these transporters now act as agents who take the orders from consumers, inform the shop owners, collect the packed goods and receipt from the shops in smaller carts and get these loaded onto large trucks parked along the main road between Subhash Road and Ashok Bazaar,” said Vikas Jain, a trader who specialises in men’s bottomwear and his father was also one of the initial few who started business in the early 1970s.
Several shop owners say that the presence of transporters has thrown the traffic situation in the area in utter disarray. “One of the biggest concerns is traffic in this area, as it is completely mismanaged and there is no parking space even outside the market. Most shop owners who live outside use cabs for their everyday commute. Regulating traffic is one of the most urgent needs here,” said Suri.
Located in a busy lane that is hardly 10-feet-wide sandwiched between two shops, Suri says that his shop had wholesale customers from across the world waiting outside. “There was no space to move in these lanes as it was filled with wholesale dealers. While there would be 10 customers inside, 20 others were standing outside ready to place their orders. We had 18-hour workdays. But after Covid, we have just about 30-40% of our business left,” said Jain.
Readymade garments from Gandhi Nagar were regularly exported to Russia, parts of USA and UK, Canada, Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uganda and other African countries. However, export is hardly 20% of what they used to be before Covid, say shop owners.
Problems, way forward
Having come up at what was basically a residential area, Gandhi Nagar market lacks basic infrastructure need to support at such a huge business hub.
There are illegal expansions of the buildings, encroachments, narrow roads that make the movement of vehicles a nightmare, dangerous overhead wires that are a safety hazard, no provisions for measures needed to tackle disasters and basic issues such as poor sanitation and maintenance.
“There is a lot of encroachment. Most shops have encroached upon road space than even the size of their shops. The traffic is completely unregulated and always in a jam because of movement of large consignments as well as customers who usually travel on foot,” said Jain.
Prakash said, “There is an urgent need for more public toilets, especially for women. The firefighting systems need to be upgraded and its network has to be widened. Also, the road space should also be expanded in a way that in an emergency, firefighting vehicles can enter without hindrance.”
The revamp plan
Last week, the Delhi government announced plans to redevelop Gandhi Nagar as an international garments hub. The plan, to be implemented in two phases, has its roots in a major revamp market plan announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in its state Budget 2022-23 which was aimed at fostering growth and kickstarting the economy after the slump due to Covid-19 induced restrictions.
The redevelopment will be executed in two phases, Delhi government officials said, taking into consideration the ongoing economic activities in the area. The first phase of the project will focus on immediate and pressing concerns of local traders, besides provisions of public facilities such as drinking water and public toilets. Additionally, installation of comprehensive CCTV camera network and security monitoring system, redesigning of street lighting and street furniture, and implementation of a visual information system will also be a part of the first phase.
Under the second phase, the government will focus on urban redesigning and architectural enhancements of the market. Officials added that efforts will be made to promote the area through national and international marketing campaigns, digitisation of area information, firefighting facilities, and upgradation of existing infrastructure. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will be responsible for executing the project, while the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi, will design its new layout,
According to Balli, the market redevelopment plan will help market to expand its international footprint that has been lost due to Covid-19 slump. However, there is also a need for better marketing. “Gandhi Nagar developed solely because of the immense hard work by the local traders. We never went looking for customers. The demand had always been more than we could deliver. We now need to improve marketing to expand our businesses,” said Balli.
Experts say it is necessary to organise the market to help ease trade for both sellers and customers.
“Gandhi Nagar developed as an unorganised market that is difficult to navigate and it is essential to organise it. It is important to have multi-storeyed development to decongest the area. There should be a long mart-like lane created with clear demarcation in the areas for domestic as well as export sales. There should also be a separate area for surplus goods where wholesale export buyers can directly visit and buy without much negotiation. This will reduce the hassles of buyers and will also ensure display by all traders without monopoly,” said Lalit Thukral, regional incharge of northern India, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).
Narrow, crowded lanes with a web of overhead hanging wires, lined up with shops selling just one commodity,clothes — all kinds, all sizes, variety of fabric, colours, make and prices. Welcome to east Delhi’s Gandhi Nagar market, arguably Asia’s largest hub of readymade garments.
Several shop owners confirm that the market was started by a group of five businessmen who started the business of readymade garments from their shops, created as an extension of their homes, in 1972-73. They say it started out as an experiment since readymade garments weren’t very popular in the 70s. Most people would buy the fabric and get their clothes stitched.
“My father was one of the five traders who started shops here. He came here from Sadar Bazaar and started this shop in 1970. Our sales tax number dates to 1971. However, what began as an experiment quickly thrived into a popular business with the popularity of readymade garments picking up. Now, the business has gone international. We have exported to more than 20 countries that I can instantly think of,” said Lalit Suri,57, who graduated from Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce in 1971 and joined his father Kuldeep Suri’s business. They together run Pommy Garments, where they sell ladies wear such as kurtis, leggings, and suit sets.
Evolution of the hub
Gandhi Nagar, postal code Delhi - 110031, used to be a residential area till 1972-73. The first five shops that started in those years were soon joined by sellers from across the Yamuna who used to run shops in the weekly markets and sourced their garments from Gandhi Nagar. Eventually more traders, who usually sourced their stock from wholesale markets in Sadar Bazaar and Azad Market, joined in leading to business volume growing faster at Gandhi Nagar.
According to KK Balli, president of the market association, the relatively new market grabbed attention because the initial traders here worked hard to source garments from across the country, providing a huge variety to businesses in Delhi at their doorstep. “When a shop owner or trader comes here, he can collect all varieties of clothes from across the country in one carton, in one market and at the most reasonable rate. He will get the best cotton clothes from Kolkata (West Bengal) and Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu), woollens from Ludhiana (Punjab), chikankari kurtis from Lucknow (UP), textile and hosiery from Gujarat and all kinds of readymade garments from any part of the country,” said Balli.
By 1975-76, traders in Gandhi Nagar were providing readymade clothing from Kolkata and hosiery from Ludhiana to traders in Delhi and neighbouring areas by sourcing it directly from suppliers, which helped them keep the prices low. A host of garment businessmen from Ludhiana, a huge textile and garment hub in north India, migrated to Gandhi Nagar in the 1980s during the insurgency in Punjab.
“Traders from Assam also came here. Migrations enriched Gandhi Nagar with people who were involved in garments business for decades,” said Ved Prakash, one of the biggest and oldest businessmen in Gandhi Market and specialises in men’s garments.
Ved Prakash, shifted to Gandhi Nagar with his two brothers, from Panipat in Haryana,with their parents in 1958. The family started selling coal from their house in Gandhi Nagar, and then started a flour mill, later a grocery shop and then began the readymade garments business.
Shopkeepers in the area say that most of the fabric from Tiruppur comes to his shop first before going to any other market across the country. Tiruppur is the leading source of hosiery, knitted garments, casual wear and sportswear.
Soon, Gandhi Nagar replaced the older hubs of Sadar Bazar for traders from across the country who sourced garments from Delhi. Hundreds of small shopkeepers based out of tier 2 and tier 3 towns around Delhi also started flocking to Gandhi Nagar, mostly because of the sheer variety and attractive prices. As demand quickly outran supply, many businessmen diversified into manufacturing.
“Most of the cotton clothes were sourced from Mangla Haat in Kolkata. But soon, the manufacturers there could not keep up with the rising demand. Production in the 70s and 80s was slow. I have seen traders who would spend two days in Delhi and the rest of the days in the week travelling. They would board a Rajdhani from Delhi and reach Kolkata, buy clothes and return the next day. On the third day, they would sell off their entire stock in a day, and then board the train again the next day for Kolkata,” said Balli.
By early 1990s, Gandhi Nagar, once a residential colony, completely turned into Asia’s largest readymade garments market with over 14,000 shops and 5,000 manufacturing units. Several people who started out selling garments have now turned manufactures with some running their factories in Gandhi Nagar only, and same having their units on outskirts of Delhi such as Tronica City and Noida Sector 63.
Scale of operations
Traders say that while there has never been any quantification of the business numbers, the shops across the market do business of over ₹250-300 crore per day. This is even after most shop owners said that business is down by 60-70% since the Covid-19 pandemic. After the shops mushroomed by late 90s, several transporters also started setting up within Gandhi Nagar. As of now, there are over 50 transport companies running their operations from Gandhi Market.
“For most of the wholesale orders, these transporters now act as agents who take the orders from consumers, inform the shop owners, collect the packed goods and receipt from the shops in smaller carts and get these loaded onto large trucks parked along the main road between Subhash Road and Ashok Bazaar,” said Vikas Jain, a trader who specialises in men’s bottomwear and his father was also one of the initial few who started business in the early 1970s.
Several shop owners say that the presence of transporters has thrown the traffic situation in the area in utter disarray. “One of the biggest concerns is traffic in this area, as it is completely mismanaged and there is no parking space even outside the market. Most shop owners who live outside use cabs for their everyday commute. Regulating traffic is one of the most urgent needs here,” said Suri.
Located in a busy lane that is hardly 10-feet-wide sandwiched between two shops, Suri says that his shop had wholesale customers from across the world waiting outside. “There was no space to move in these lanes as it was filled with wholesale dealers. While there would be 10 customers inside, 20 others were standing outside ready to place their orders. We had 18-hour workdays. But after Covid, we have just about 30-40% of our business left,” said Jain.
Readymade garments from Gandhi Nagar were regularly exported to Russia, parts of USA and UK, Canada, Dubai, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uganda and other African countries. However, export is hardly 20% of what they used to be before Covid, say shop owners.
Problems, way forward
Having come up at what was basically a residential area, Gandhi Nagar market lacks basic infrastructure need to support at such a huge business hub.
There are illegal expansions of the buildings, encroachments, narrow roads that make the movement of vehicles a nightmare, dangerous overhead wires that are a safety hazard, no provisions for measures needed to tackle disasters and basic issues such as poor sanitation and maintenance.
“There is a lot of encroachment. Most shops have encroached upon road space than even the size of their shops. The traffic is completely unregulated and always in a jam because of movement of large consignments as well as customers who usually travel on foot,” said Jain.
Prakash said, “There is an urgent need for more public toilets, especially for women. The firefighting systems need to be upgraded and its network has to be widened. Also, the road space should also be expanded in a way that in an emergency, firefighting vehicles can enter without hindrance.”
The revamp plan
Last week, the Delhi government announced plans to redevelop Gandhi Nagar as an international garments hub. The plan, to be implemented in two phases, has its roots in a major revamp market plan announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in its state Budget 2022-23 which was aimed at fostering growth and kickstarting the economy after the slump due to Covid-19 induced restrictions.
The redevelopment will be executed in two phases, Delhi government officials said, taking into consideration the ongoing economic activities in the area. The first phase of the project will focus on immediate and pressing concerns of local traders, besides provisions of public facilities such as drinking water and public toilets. Additionally, installation of comprehensive CCTV camera network and security monitoring system, redesigning of street lighting and street furniture, and implementation of a visual information system will also be a part of the first phase.
Under the second phase, the government will focus on urban redesigning and architectural enhancements of the market. Officials added that efforts will be made to promote the area through national and international marketing campaigns, digitisation of area information, firefighting facilities, and upgradation of existing infrastructure. The Municipal Corporation of Delhi will be responsible for executing the project, while the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), Delhi, will design its new layout,
According to Balli, the market redevelopment plan will help market to expand its international footprint that has been lost due to Covid-19 slump. However, there is also a need for better marketing. “Gandhi Nagar developed solely because of the immense hard work by the local traders. We never went looking for customers. The demand had always been more than we could deliver. We now need to improve marketing to expand our businesses,” said Balli.
Experts say it is necessary to organise the market to help ease trade for both sellers and customers.
“Gandhi Nagar developed as an unorganised market that is difficult to navigate and it is essential to organise it. It is important to have multi-storeyed development to decongest the area. There should be a long mart-like lane created with clear demarcation in the areas for domestic as well as export sales. There should also be a separate area for surplus goods where wholesale export buyers can directly visit and buy without much negotiation. This will reduce the hassles of buyers and will also ensure display by all traders without monopoly,” said Lalit Thukral, regional incharge of northern India, Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).
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Stay updated with all top Cities including, Bengaluru, Delhi, Mumbai and more across India. Stay informed on the latest happenings in World News along with Delhi Election 2025 and Delhi Election Result 2025 Live, New Delhi Election Result Live, Kalkaji Election Result Live at Hindustan Times.