Over 60 markets in Delhi, including several major ones, were closed Thursday due to a strike by traders protesting the sealing of shops in residential areas by the civic authorities.Responding to a daylong protest called by several trade bodies, shopkeepers in main markets like Lajpat Nagar, South Extension, Chandni Chowk, Karol Bagh, Rajouri Garden, Rohini, Pitampura, Paharganj, Patel Nagar and Jail Road downed their shutters.
Markets in Nehru Place, Kalkaji, Hauz Khas, Green Park, and Patparganj were also affected partially.
Traders held a protest march near Jantar Mantar in the heart of the city to air their grievances regarding the ongoing sealing drive and urged the urban development ministry to bring in a law as soon as possible to bail them out.
Acting on the Supreme Court''s directives, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has been bringing down illegal structures and sealing shops in residential areas over the past few months that violate the Delhi Master Plan.
So far, over 3,200 illegal structures have been affected by the demolition drive and over 3,500 shops, including few major shopping complexes, have been sealed in the national capital.
"We welcome the urban development ministry''s plan to introduce a bill in the parliament to stop sealing for a stipulated period of time, but we are appealing to the government to help over 250,000 traders by regularising commercial premises in residential areas," said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
Khandelwal said Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy had informed them that the bill would stop any kind of demolition and sealing in Delhi for at least a year.
"But that will not solve our issue. The bill should focus on future constructions and maintain the status quo of the commercial establishments in residential areas," he told IANS.
CAIT, Delhi Traders Sangharsh Morcha, Delhi Retail Trade Forum, Paschimi Delhi Vyapar Sangh, South Delhi Trade Associations, the North Delhi Traders Federation are among those taking part in the strike.
Traders said they would continue their agitation as long as their demands were not fulfilled. However, MCD authorities explained their limitations in front of a court order.
"It is a court order and we will continue to implement it. If the apex court asks us to stop the drive, we will follow it with immediate effect," said a MCD spokesperson.
The Supreme Court had ordered the closures in February, when it found violations of the Delhi Master Plan in 126 wards out of a list of 133 wards supplied by the MCD.
(IANS)
