The young men were bursting with excitement as they raced towards the bustling Super Bazar, India's first superstore, located near Shankar Market in CP. It was time to spend the 270 they had pooled in to buy the coveted, compact transistor, whose handle did the work of an antenna.
"But we knew it would take us hours to hold that transistor in our hands. The queue outside Super Bazar reached the fire station in Connaught Place's outer circle. It's like how people queue up now to buy the latest iPhone.
Super Bazar was the place to visit at the time," recalled Sharma (70), a retired businessman.
Super Bazar, a six-storey superstore Delhi and India's first which served as a city landmark for decades, now stands lost to time and neglect. It was launched in 1966, months after the 1965 India-Pakistan war, by the Congress-led central government as a measure to keep price rise in check. The supermarket, which was developed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), sold everything from subsidised sugar to palm oil, vegetables to HMT watches, stationery to construction material, even transistors, and, when they eventually became available, computers.
Its glory days were long behind it when it shut in 2002, weighed down by huge losses it incurred since the mid-'90s. As per an April 2018 report by the ministry of consumer affairs, Super Bazar began incurring losses in 1996, due to "overstaffing, failure of management, inadequacy of working capital, and a lack of competitive approach on part of the management." For the last two decades, Super Bazar has been locked in a long, messy arbitration with employee unions over the closure and payment of their dues.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 11, 2024-Ausgabe von Hindustan Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 11, 2024-Ausgabe von Hindustan Times.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
AAP, BJP quarrel after security scare at Kejriwal's foot march
A man hurled an unidentified liquid on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Arvind Kejriwal during a foot march in Savitri Nagar, south Delhi, sparking a security scare that also triggered a high-voltage political showdown between the AAP and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) weeks before the critical assembly elections in the Capital.
AAP MLA held for 'extortion'
The Delhi Police on Saturday evening arrested Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) legislator Naresh Balyan in connection with an extortion case.
Probe ordered as man dies in police custody
A 27-year-old man, who was taken into police custody after he allegedly stabbed and injured three members of his family in west Delhi, purportedly tried to flee captivity but fell off the wall of the Mayapuri police station and died two days later on November 28 officers aware of the case said on Saturday—an alleged case of custodial death.
LG junks IP Univ plea for fee hike
Lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena has rejected a proposal by Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) to impose affiliation fees on government institutes affiliated to it, officials from the LG secretariat said on Saturday, adding that the decision was made to protect the interest of students since affiliation fee would ultimately be added to the total fee paid by them.
Min below 10°C for 2nd day; AQI still 'very poor'
Cold, northwesterly winds on Saturday kept Delhi's minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius (°C) for a second day in a row, but the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the mercury may rise over the next few days, as a western disturbance affects northwest India.
K'TAKA CM ORDERS INQUIRY INTO MATERNAL DEATHS IN BALLARI DISTT
Following the recent maternal deaths allegedly linked to substandard Ringer Lactate solution-in Ballari district, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday ordered an inquiry into such incidents at various hospitals of the state.
'Claims of increase in votes in last hour are fake'
{INTERVIEW} SCHOCKALINGAM, MAHA CHIEF ELECTORAL OFFICER
Rahul, Priyanka attack Modi over Wayanad landslides aid
Congress lawmaker Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accompanied his sister and party MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Kerala after her maiden electoral victory in the Lok Sabha bypoll, and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of discriminating against landslides victims in Wayanad district by not providing them the due support.
Row after SP leaders denied Sambhal entry
The Samajwadi Party targeted the Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday after several of its leaders, including leader of the Opposition in assembly Mata Prasad Pandey, were stopped from entering Sambhal district, where four people were killed in violence during protests against a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque on November 24.
Shimla court dismisses plea against razing of mosque's illegal floors
A local court in Shimla on Saturday dismissed an application challenging the municipal corporation commissioner's order to demolish the illegal structures of the Sanjauli mosque.
