Delhi braces for showdown

NEW DELHI: The Capital braced for the worst after the Supreme Court ordered the authorities on Monday to seal illegal shops in residential areas and the government pledged to obey, angering a bitter trading community.

Soon after the Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by external affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said closing down of unauthorised commercial establishments in residential neighbourhoods would resume from Tuesday, the traders announced they would begin a 24-hour protest against the apex court’s ruling. Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy told newsmen after the meeting that the “government had no other alternative except to implement the Supreme Court’s order”.

Following the traders’ decision to resume protests, the Delhi Government, as a precautionary measure, ordered the closure of all schools for two days from Tuesday.

“All private and government schools have also been advised by the government to remain closed to avoid any untoward incident,” Uday Sahay, Director of Public Information for Delhi Government, said.