Trading activity to halt for 3 days due to Delhi Bandh

New Delhi, Oct 29 (UNI) Commercial activities in Delhi will come to a halt for three days from tomorrow in response to a 72-hour Delhi Bandh call by traders to protest the proposed sealing drive by the MCD from November 1.

With no concrete relief to traders from the proposed sealing drive in sight, traders in Delhi have geared themselves up to make the proposed three-day Delhi bandh from tomorrow morning a huge success.

Traders in all the major markets in Delhi, including commercial hubs like Connaught Place, 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 to protest 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.

''There will be no trading activity in Delhi in the next three days,''CAIT secretary general Parveen Khandelwal said.

However, to avoid any inconvenience to the general public, essential services, vegetable and transport have been exempted from the bandh.

Also, the Delhi Government has announced that all Government schools in the capital will remain open tomorrow.

A majority of private schools are, however, likely to remain closed as out of the nearly 2000 such schools, 1700 fall under the purview of the sealing drive and are hence likly to remain closed to protest the sealing.

The bandh has evoked wide support from several groups and organisations even from those who are not directly affected by the sealing drive.

All major political parties including the BJP and the Congress, have extended their support to the bandh.

The BJP has already announced its decision to gherao the Delhi assembly on the opening day of the session tomorrow. Thousands of leaders, office bearers and workers of the Delhi Pradesh BJP will march tomorrow morning to lay siege on the State assembly.

Medical professionals have also come out in support of the bandh.

According to a statement by the Delhi Medical Association, while on the first two days the medical professionals will wear black badges and hold dharnas to protest the sealing drive, on November 1 regular medical sevices would be shut down.

Emergency services would, however, continue to operate, the DMA said.

UNI