The Palika Bazar Association objected Friday to the market being listed on the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) notorious market list for allegedly selling ‘counterfeit’ products, and demanded that the ‘false claims’ be withdrawn and the market’s name be removed from the list.
“This is quite upsetting. The Palika Bazar market, according to the report, is involved in the sale of counterfeit products such as mobile accessories, cosmetics, watches, and eyewear. “We categorically denounce the baseless claims made against us,” stated Darshan Lal Kakkar, head of the Palika Bazar Association.
2021 Notorious Market List has Palika Bazar, Tank Road, and Indiamart.com on the list
The 2021 Notorious Markets List, which was announced on Thursday, found 42 online and 35 physical markets worldwide that have been accused of engaging in or facilitating significant trademark counterfeiting or copyright theft. The prominent e-commerce website IndiaMart.com and three markets throughout the country — Heera Panna in Mumbai, Kidderpore in Kolkata, and Tank Road in Delhi — were also included on the list.
Additionally, the group has written to the USTR requesting that the market be closed. “As indicated in the USTR study, market vendors are active in selling cheaper goods that appeal to the younger population. As a result, it is requested that the complaint leveled against us be dropped immediately and that such false allegations not be launched against such a prominent and customer-friendly market that offers lower-priced goods,” concluded Kakkar.
Palika Bazar is located near the Hanuman Mandir complex in Connaught Place and is administered by the New Delhi Municipal Council. The marketplaces sell a variety of goods, from clothing to electronics.
“This is a market where individuals, particularly young college-going ladies and boys from middle-class families, can purchase jeans, shoes, and t-shirts for less than Rs 1,000,” said Baljeet Kohli, chairman of the Palika Bazar association. While the initial copy of any goods costs at least Rs 6,000, we sell pre-owned items, clothing, and footwear, but no one sells counterfeit or pirated products. This is intolerable.”
Kohli said that this is not the market’s first appearance on the list. “They included Palika Bazar in their list two years ago. The situation was resolved subsequently after we protested and wrote to the United States Trade Representative,” he explained.