Sealing drive to go on, traders rue action

The civic bodies will continue with the sealing drive in the Capital, even as traders’ associations across the city have been demanding to“regularise” the portions such as basements and upper floors, which are being sealed for “misuse”. 

The traders’ body along with the three municipal corporations and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will meet the three-member Monitoring Committee to discuss the further plan of action on Wednesday. 

The sealing drive is being carried out at the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee to check “illegal” constructions.  

The Delhi government too has set up a panel to discuss the issue and address woes. The subject was also raised in the Delhi Assembly session. 

Anxious traders alleged that the municipal corporations in the city were hand-in-glove in sanctioning the plans by taking one-time conversion charges while, at present, the traders are the only ones at the receiving end.

“Almost 99 per cent of markets have converted from residential to commercial while most of them have also paid conversion charges for the same. The Committee cannot go on and shut shops in the entire city and finish off people’s businesses. The government must regularise all these units,” said Rajan Mehta, one of the traders at Defence Colony market. 

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation sealed around 50 basements in the posh Defence Colony market on Tuesday. The civic body had earlier this month sealed the upper floors of 51 eateries and shops in the same market.