Traders cry foul after 2nd round of sealing in Defence Colony Market

With round two of sealing by the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) in Defence Colony Market on Wednesday, traders are staring at a dead end. In the second part of the sealing drive, the SDMC shut basements of close to 50 shops, rendering the entire market virtually without business.

The Defence Colony Market Traders'Association (DCMTA) claims that while the Monitoring Committee has accused them of misusing the land, they have all the documents and necessary charges in place. Alleging harassment on the part of the SDMC at the behest of the committee appointed by the Supreme Court to check building violations, the businessmen in the market rue that they are being made to suffer unnecessarily.

Talking to DNA, Jagdish Gupta, secretary, DCMTA said,"We feel completely handicapped. The action is totally arbitrary. The agencies cannot bring everything to a standstill by weaving a wand and acting on its whims and fancies."

Shops and godowns have been sealed in the market, with some restaurants operating in the basement coming under fire as the civic body claimed that they were unauthorised.

Gupta further said that owners of the establishments in the area have paid regularisation charges under the policy formed by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in 2000 that allowed all the commercial units constructed till 1998 to get regularised by paying the fee. Gupta also questioned the lack of clarity behind the sealing drive from the SDMC as well as the Monitoring Committee.

Hoever, the SDMC claims that the traders have not paid conversion charges and that they have violated building bye-laws by using the residential area for commercial purposes.

Of the many shops and eating outlets that were targeted by the SDMC team included some part of Moet's restaurant, Bansal stationery, Puma shoe store, Teksons book shop, Batra tent house and Chique, a clothing retail shop.

On December 22, the civic body had sealed around 51 units for using them as commercial space without paying the conversion charges of Rs 22,274 per square metre.

WHAT THEY SAID 

• The Defence Colony Market Traders’Association (DCMTA) claims that they have all the documents and necessary charges in place
   
• Jagdish Gupta, secretary, DCMTA said that owners of the establishments in the area have paid regularisation charges under a policy formed by the MCD in 2000