Commerce in Delhi to come to standstill for 3 days

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Oct 29 (UNI) The stage is set for a complete commercial shutdown in Delhi from tomorrow in response to a 72-hour Delhi Bandh call by traders in protest against the proposed sealing drive by the MCD from November 1.

With no concrete relief in sight, either from the Centre or the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee over the sealing issue, traders in Delhi have geared themselves up to make the proposed three-day Delhi bandh from tomorrow morning a huge success.

Shopkeepers in all the major markets in Delhi, including commercial hubs like Karol Bagh, Rohini, Lajpat nagar, Pitampura and Rajouri Garden, will down their shutters during the Delhi bandh, called by the Confederation of All India Traders in protest against the proposed sealing of shops of over 40000 traders who had submitted affidavits in the Supreme Court to close down their operations by June 30.

Even the busy Connaught Place market will remain closed during the bandh, CAIT sources said.

Further, the traders have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from November 2 "if the Government fails to give permanent relief to the traders whose shops and businesses are facing the prospect of sealing under orders of the Supreme Court".

''All the markets across the Capital would remain closed for 72 hours from October 30 in protest against the sealing drive,'' CAIT secretary-general Praveen Khandelwal has said.

Falling under the purview of the sealing drive will be 44,000 shopkeepers who had submitted affidavits in the court. Besides, a large number of shopkeepers whose units fell under the negative list of items mentioned in the September 7 notification of the Urban Development Ministry also face the threat of sealing of their commercial establishments.

The traders say that despite tall promises, the Centre had failed to give any relief to traders. Hence, they had now decided to fight their own battle.

The traders are demanding a regularisation of all shops and business establishments in Delhi to provide relief for shopkeepers from the sealing drive.

Falling under the purview of the sealing drive will be 44,000 shopkeepers who had submitted affidavits in the court. Besides, a large number of shopkeepers whose units fell under the negative list of items mentioned in the September 7 notification of the Urban Development Ministry also face the threat of sealing of their commercial establishments.

The traders say that despite tall promises, the Centre had failed to give any relief to traders. Hence, they had now decided to fight their own battle.

They are demanding a regularisation of all shops and business establishments in Delhi to provide relief for shopkeepers from the sealing drive.

The traders have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from November 2 ''if the Government fails to give permanent relief to those whose shops and businesses are facing the prospect of sealing under orders of the Supreme Court''.

Meanwhile, the flurry of activity in political circles to seek relief for traders from sealing continued today.

In a resolution, the Delhi Pradesh Congress committee today demanded that the Delhi Laws (special Provisions) Act, 2006, seeking to place a one year moratorium on sealing and demolition in Delhi, be put under the Schedule nine of the Constitution.

The resolution also requested the Centre to introduce and implement the Master Plan 2021 to provide relief for traders from sealing.

The DPCC executive committee which passed the resolution, requested the Delhi Government to pass it in the coming session of the Delhi Legislative Assembly.

DPCC chief Rambabu Sharma today appealed to the traders community to maintain peace and harmony at all costs during the Delhi bandh.

''Peaceful and normal life in Delhi should not be allowed to be disturbed during the bandh,''he said and appealed tp workers of the Congress party to be vigilant of the miscreants during the bandh help the government and administration in maintaining peace.

Requesting traders to have faith in the Congress, Mr Sharma assured them that the proposed sealing drive from November 1 would not be allowed to take place.

Over the last week too, there has been a flurry of activities in political circles in Delhi to seek relief for traders from sealing.

Leader of the MCD House Jitender Kochar accompanied a delegation of traders to Congress president Sonia Gandhi yesterday to seek her intervention to ensure relief for traders from sealing.

Perhaps, as a last ditch effort to aver sealing, the Group of ministers on sealing yesterday decided that the MCD and the Urban Development ministry would file a review petition in the Supreme Court as soon as possible to seek relief from sealing for the 44000 traders who had submitted affidavits in the court as also to seek postponement of the proposed sealing drive till the Master Plan 2021 was notified.

MCD has also written to the Monitoring committee urging the postponement of the sealing drive citing the volatile law and order situation in Delhi.

A Delhi bandh called by the traders on September 20 in protest against sealing had witnessed several violent clashes between the agitating traders and the police. The violence during the bandh led the Centre to set up a Group of Ministers, led by home Minister Shivraj Patil, on the issue of sealing.

UNI

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