MG road, Qutub Institutional area come under sealing scanner

New Delhi, Nov 14 (UNI) Shops on the MG Road and the Qutub Institutional area today fell under the sealing scanner of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi with 261 shops being put to seal by the Corporation in the capital.

While 132 shops were sealed in the Najafgarh zone of the MCD, 129 commercial units were sealed in course of the sealing drive by the MCD today, a spokesperson of the Corporation said.

The spokesperson said that most of the shops sealed in the South zone were in the Mehrauli Gurgaon Road, which houses outlets of several famous fashion designers, and the Qutub Institutional area, where offices of several private companies are located.

With today's sealing, the MCD has, since the beginning of the sealing drive on November 8, as per orders of the Supreme Court, sealed a total of 738 commercial units, including 377 in the South Zone, 229 in Central zone and 132 in the Najafgarh zone.

The sealing occurred even as the Supreme Court has posted for tomorrow hearing on the applications filed by the Centre and MCD seeking relief from sealing for 25,000 odd traders in Delhi who had earlier given an affidavit for stopping the misuse of their own but are protected by the government notification dated September 7 and 15, 2006.

Solicitor General G E Vahanvati mentioned the application this morning before the bench comprising Chief Justice Y K Sabharwal and Justices C K Thakker and R V Raveendran, for early hearing.

The applicants in their applications have prayed to the court to permit these 25,000 traders to continue till the validity of the two impugned notifications dated September 7 and 15, 2006 allowing mixed land use along 2183 city roads, was finally decided by the apex court subject to the condition of these traders filing fresh affidavits to the effect that they would stop commercial activities immediately if the impugned notifications are invalidated by this court.

About three lakh similarly placed traders who did not file affidavits have been spared by the apex court from sealing provided they file affidavits latest by January 31,2007.

The sealing drive began on November 8 after the Supreme court, ruling on the petitions of the Centre, MCD and the Delhi Government to potpone the sealing drive, said the sealing of shops in Delhi would continue as per its directions on September 29.

Falling under the sealing drive are the over 40000 traders who had submitted affidavits in the Supreme Court to close down their units by October 31. Also falling under the purview of the drive are traders whose units fall under the negative list of items mentioned in the September 7 notification of the Urban Development Ministry.

UNI AR VD KP1948