The Hindu : Front Page : More Delhi shops sealed amid violent protests by traders

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 05, 2006

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More Delhi shops sealed amid violent protests by traders

Staff Reporter

Municipal squads stoned; buses damaged; protestors lathi-charged by police

NEW DELHI: Traders in the Capital's Rohini zone hurled stones at municipal squads and security personnel and damaged some city buses on Tuesday when the civic body's teams tried to seal illegal shops on the sixth day of the ongoing sealing exercise in Delhi's residential areas. Elsewhere in the city the drive was peaceful with the municipal squads sealing a total of 726 commercial establishments running illegally from residential premises.

As the sealing teams of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi accompanied by a large number of security personnel and para-military reinforcements descended on Rohini to begin the sealing exercise, traders led by the local Bharatiya Janata Party councillor Vijender Gupta tried to offer resistance. As soon as the sealing action began, the traders went about hurling stones at the squad and damaged the windowpanes of at least four city buses and two MCD vans. They even tried to set vehicles on fire.

As all attempts to pacify the protestors proved futile, the security personnel chased the traders and resorted to lathi-charge to bring the situation under control. The police detained over two-dozen protestors, including Mr. Gupta. Later Mr. Gupta and some others were sent to judicial custody.

In the meantime, the MCD squads abandoned the sealing drive and moved to other places. However, when the situation improved, the MCD officials returned and began sealing the illegal shops.

Similarly, some traders protested on Jail Road in West Delhi and at Mukherjee Nagar shouting slogans against the Delhi Government and the MCD for having failed to safeguards their interests and rendering them and their workers jobless. While Councillor Onkar Singh Thapar was arrested and sent to judicial custody for opposing the sealing exercise on Jail Road, the Leader of the Opposition in the Delhi Assembly, Jagdish Mukhi, and the Leader of the Opposition in the MCD, Subhash Arya, also courted arrest in protest against the drive.

During the daylong exercise, sealing was carried out in 11 civic zones. A total of 177 illegal shops were sealed in Rohini on Awantika Road (between Polestar School and Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Hospital in Sector-5), while 145 establishments were sealed on Arya Samaj Road and Patel Road in Karol Bagh Zone and 105 establishments at Kingsway Camp and G.T. Road in Civil Lines Zone.

Other places where the sealing exercise took place included Sadar Thana Road, Idgah Road, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Defence Colony, Rohtak Road, Peeragarhi to Tikri, Desh Bandhu Gupta Road, Wazirabad Road, Road No. 57 from Jagatpuri to Gagan Vihar, Hansraj Gupta Marg, Aurobindo Marg and Raja Garden (Ring Road).

Meanwhile, a huge rush of traders was seen at the Deputy Commissioners' offices in the 11 zones to deposit affidavits to avoid sealing. A day after the Supreme Court extended the date for filing affidavits to April 7, more than 4,000 traders submitted their pledges to shut their illegal shops by June 30.

However, traders at some places like Defence Colony and Greater Kailash alleged that the MCD officials sealed their establishments despite their having submitted affidavits. Traders also alleged shortage and black-marketing of stamp papers in different parts of the Capital, causing them a great deal of inconvenience as they were not able to file affidavits.

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