Delhi Traders submit memorandum to Monitoring Committee on sealing

New Delhi, May 2 (UNI) Traders from several parts of Delhi today held meetings with the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee on the sealing issue and demanded that the drive be suspended keeping in view the principle of natural justice and giving due cognizance to the humanitarian aspect of the issue.

About 60 trade leaders of Delhi, led by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), had extensive round of talks with the Monitoring Committee. All members of the committee - Mr Bhure Lal, Chairman, K J Rao and Mr Jhingan - were present at the meeting.

During the hour-long discussion with members of the Monitoring Committee, the trade leaders stressed that arbitrary displacement of about five lakh traders in Delhi would mark the ''first ever most inhuman act'' on the land. The trade delegation told the Committee that in submissions made by the Union Government in its Interlocutory petition filed in Supreme Court about causes of its failure in implementing the Master Plan, it has been very clearly admitted that the planning and development process of Delhi during the last four decades, has been marked by ''many ambiguities, contradictions and gaps which has caused many aberrations and distortions and the administrative machinery completely failed in discharging its duties.'' The traders delegation urged the Monitoring Committee to carry out an in depth study on whether traders were squarely to be blamed for the current situation, what would be the after effects and consequences of closure of lakhs and lakhs of business establishments in Delhi and whether closure of such large number of business establishments will solve all problems of Delhi. They urged the Committee to look into the issue in a broader perspective and said that as a settled dictum in law, the benefit of doubt must be given to the traders.

UNI AR VD KP1746