Govt want parity on relief to traders: Shiela

New Delhi, Nov 3: The government has put its plea on the sealing issue before the Supreme Court today also, seeking relief for the nearly 41,000 law abiding traders who had filed their affidavit on removing shops from residential areas, Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit told the assembly today.

Chief Minister said the government supported petition and prayer, being put forward by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and the Urban Development Ministry today, before the Supreme Court has sought parity of these conscientious traders with others.

''We want that they should also be given time till January 31, the deadline other traders have been given. Because we think that these 40,800 people have acted as law abiding citizens and have been unduly put under duress because of their affidavit.'' The matter has been put before the court today also and would be heard on Monday, she said.

Yesterday, Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy, after the Group of Ministers meeting chaired by Home Minister Shivraj Patil, had said that in view of the tense situation prevailing in the Capital, sealing was ''very difficult''.

''Also, as on November 4 and 5 there were Sikh festivals, which needed largescale security deployments, sealing was difficult. The MCD, which had been asked by the Monitoring Committee to continue with the sealing, is putting its case before the Supreme Court tomorrow,'' he had added.

Meanwhile, in the latest development on the issue the Supreme Court will hear on Monday MCD's application seeking deferment of the sealing of over 40,000 shops in the Capital whose owners had filed affidavits giving an undertaking that they would stop the 'land misuse' by June 30 next.

UNI

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