Srinagar, April 7 -- Hilal Ahmad can't shake the feeling of being jobless despite running a garment store in Lal Chowk. His tribe has served customers for decades, but now they're losing their livelihoods. If this trend continues, Hilal fears, Lal Chowk may soon become a shadow of its past.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Hilal had two employees and a stable clientele. But when the lockdowns hit, his business was badly affected. Just as things began to recover, the Smart City project brought a new set of challenges. Constant road construction and barricades outside his shop reduced footfall drastically. "Even if someone wanted to come, the dust and blocked roads kept them away," he said.

Then came the flood of online sellers-many of them ...