Traders announce Delhi Bandh on Sep 20

New Delhi, Sep 17 (UNI) Angered by the MCD's sealing drive, traders in Delhi will observe a bandh in protest on Wednesday and stage sit-in demonstrations at 100 places in markets across the capital.

''The woes of the trading community due to the sealing drive have reached a pathetic impasse.... they have been reduced to the status of beggars on streets. They are appealing to courts, government and even RWA's,'' Confederation of All India Traders' (CAIT) Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said.

''The traders are being treated as aliens as if they do not belong to the city and are illegal residents,'' he added.

He saids CAIT will also launch an ''aggressive movement'' seeking to stop sealing.

Mr Khandelwal said any source of relief for the traders was being knocked down by the Courts.

''It is very strange that in a democratic country that prides itself for the cause of fundamental and human rights of citizens, exploitation and violation is at its peak. All our pleadings are falling on deaf ears,'' he added.

Mr Khandelwal said the trading community is being made a ''pawn'' in the battle between the courts and the government.

''There is no platform to hear us, we are not even made parties to the judicial process and we are made to suffer without being heard,'' he said.

''The traders have no confidence.... the see-saw battle between the Government and Judiciary seems endless,'' he added.

On September 15, the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee had directed the MCD to continue with the sealing drive despite the Centre and Delhi Government issuing notifications to permit trading activities in residential areas.

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