Date:04/04/2006 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2006/04/04/stories/2006040422630300.htm

New Delhi

MCD sealing drive continues

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Though traders across the Capital might have got some respite from the ongoing sealing drive after the Supreme Court on Monday extended the deadline for filing affidavits till April 7, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi continued with its sealing exercise targeting illegal commercial establishments operating from residential premises. By the end of the day, the civic body's squads had sealed 658 shops, the highest on a single day so far since the drive began this past Wednesday.

It was also for the first time that the sealing squads could operate in all the 11 civic zones that come under the apex court's order and without much resistance from traders and people. The drive remained peaceful in all the areas barring some places including Najafgarh, Mahipalpur and Karol Bagh where traders gathered and shouted slogans against the Delhi Government and the civic body accusing them of rendering them and their workers jobless by not properly presenting their case before the Supreme Court.

On Monday, major sealing exercise was carried out at Karol Bagh, City, Rohini, Shahdara-South and Sadar Paharganj zones. Main markets and roads covered during the daylong drive included Arya Samaj Road and Patel Road where 185 shops were sealed and Sadar Thana Road where 148 illegal commercial establishments were targeted. Similarly, Road No.43 between Britannia Chowk and Mongolpuri Industrial Area in the Rohini zone saw 74 shops being sealed, while 53 shops were sealed on Road No.57 between Radheypuri Extension and Jagatpuri in East Delhi.

Other roads and areas covered in the drive included Shakti Nagar Ghanta Ghar-Satyawati Road (30 shops), Ring Road near South Extension (12), Old National Highway-8 (42), Deshbandhu Gupta Road (47), Wazirabad Road (17), Zandu Singh Marg and Aurobindo Marg in South zone (20) and Najafgarh Road-Mayapuri Road on Ring Road (30). So far the civic body has sealed 1,661 illegal shops.

`Drive to go on'

Meanwhile, the MCD spokesperson clarified that the drive would continue and traders who want to avoid sealing of their illegal shops should submit their affidavits in the deputy commissioner's offices of their zones pledging to close their establishments by June 30.

"The MCD will not be sealing the shops of traders who file their affidavits with the civic body. In fact, traders who are submitting affidavits promising to close down their shops by June 30 are being given slips which they can show to the sealing squads," he said.

Traders whose properties have already been sealed can also submit their affidavits for de-sealing to the Monitoring Committee appointed by the Apex Court to overlook the entire process. The Committee would consider each case and give further directions to the MCD.

As directed by the Supreme Court, the MCD has already started lodging FIRs against those traders who have broken seals of their shops, while it would also place on its website names of those officials and employees against whom complaints of corruption and favouritism were received. An inquiry would also be conducted against such people, the spokesperson added.