For nearly four centuries, Chandni Chowk has been the commercial heart of Old Delhi.Built as the principal market of the Shahjahanabad region in the national capital, it continues to attract traders, shoppers, and businesses from across the country. But behind its enduring appeal lies a growing struggle with congestion, ageing infrastructure, and logistics that traders say can no longer be ignored.That debate has gained fresh relevance after the Haryana government invited Delhi’s wholesale traders to invest in a proposed 5,000-acre ‘Namo City’ near the capital, promising modern infrastructure, dedicated commercial space, and faster approvals.While the proposal has sparked discussion, trader bodies say there has been no suggestion that Chandni Chowk itself is shifting.”There has been talk for years about creating warehouses outside Chandni Chowk, but nothing has happened on that front. Nobody has notified us that our market is shifting,” said Sanjay Bhargava, President of the Chandni Chowk Sarv Vyapaar Mandal.”It appears they are trying to create an alternate market where there will be both trading facilities and warehousing. At this stage, everything is only presumptive,” he added. Bhargava said the conversation should be viewed in the context of long-standing planning proposals that were never implemented. According to him, successive master plans had envisaged institutional development and better planning for wholesale trade, but little had changed on the ground.”The biggest issue for traders today is logistics. Loading and unloading is a major problem. Chandni Chowk is heavily overcrowded. There are widespread illegal constructions. Even the courts have observed several times that Chandni Chowk is like a ticking time bomb,” he said.He said the area’s problems have continued to worsen because redevelopment has remained limited. While work was carried out on the main Chandni Chowk road, he said there was still no comprehensive redevelopment plan for the by-lanes and the wider Walled City.”Years have passed and nothing has been done. The result is greater chaos and further deterioration of the city. The city is gradually losing its heritage. Historic havelis are disappearing because of unauthorised construction,” he said, adding that effective enforcement of planning rules was missing. Bhargava said traders were not opposed to the idea of an alternate commercial hub if it helped ease pressure on the historic market.”The priority should be decongestion. Warehouses can be shifted elsewhere. As envisaged in the Master Plan, trading offices can continue in the old city while warehousing and heavy goods movement move outside,” he said. He argued that Chandni Chowk’s heritage and commercial importance should be preserved through planned redevelopment rather than allowing the area to deteriorate further. “If the area is properly redeveloped, preserving its heritage value while improving infrastructure, Chandni Chowk can be revived.” For now, traders say Haryana’s proposal remains just that, a proposal. Whether it develops into an alternative wholesale hub will depend on the details that emerge in the coming months. For Chandni Chowk, however, the larger challenge remains unchanged, which is preserving one of India’s oldest trading markets while creating enough space for modern commerce to grow.