250 shopkeepers fear the Delhi Rent Control Act will be used to evict them, ask govt to make amendments. They also threaten mass suicide if their demand not met
More than 250 traders, on Thursday, protested against the Delhi Rent Control Act, as they fear they will be evicted from their shops. The traders have also threatened mass suicide in front of Rashtrapati Bhavan if the issue is not resolved within 30 days.
A clause in Article 14 of the Rent Control Act allows the landlord to press for eviction when the "premises let for residential purpose are required bonafide by the landlord for occupation as a residence for himself or for any member of his family dependent on him."
Meanwhile, the traders are a worried lot. "I migrated from Kashmir in 1996. After selling my ancestral property, I bought a shop in Gol market. I received a notice to which I had to reply within 15 days or else they will evict my property forcefully on the 16th day. I have spent my whole life here and if my shop gets evicted, I will be left with nothing. How will I feed my family," said Hilal Khan, a shopkeeper.
The traders on Thursday organised a "roti pradarshan" on the busy streets of Chandni Chowk. The 'roti' signifies that the act is robbing shopkeepers off their daily bread.
They have also warned the government that if the Rent Control Act is not amended within 30 days then they will seek permission from the President to commit mass suicide outside Rashtrapati Bhavan.
More than five lakh traders are facing the fear of eviction. These are small scale traders who earn their daily bread from their small business and an estimated 10,000 shops are said to be affected.
The traders also complain that there are variations of the Rent Control Act across the country which must be stopped. "We want that the law that Modi implemented in Gujarat, should be implemented not only in Delhi but in India. We want our shops to be ours. According to the earlier value we paid whatever the owner asked us to pay for the shop as 'pagdi'," said Om Prakash Sahu, a shopkeeper.
"The owners are threatening me saying that they will kill me and my family if I don't evict my shop. Where will we go? What will we do? Should we become criminals to earn money? Should we die?" he added.
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