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A conspiracy to uproot small shopkeepers: BJP

Staff Reporter

`While Congress leaders create an uproar in the Assembly, the civic body is deliberately not going to court on the issue'

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party has charged the Delhi Government and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi with deliberating trying to uproot five lakh shopkeepers in the Capital. If the two administrative wings had the will, a majority of such outlets could be regularised and issued licenses.

At a joint press conference here over the weekend, Delhi BJP president Harsh Vardhan, Leader of the Opposition in the Standing Committee Vijender Gupta and Leader of Opposition in the MCD House Subhash Arya said on one hand the Congress leaders by creating an uproar in the Assembly and the MCD wanted to demonstrate that they were the well wishers of small shopkeepers and rehri patri shopkeepers, but on the other hand the civic body was deliberately not going to court on the issue.

They said under the Ad hoc Trade Registration Plan 2004, the MCD had promised to give licenses for running shops in residential premises to the maximum of 30 square metres or 25 per cent of the total floor area for vegetables, bakery products, crockery, gift and cards, household plastic goods, garments, general provisions, cosmetics, public conveniences, tuition centre, cosmetics, beauty parlour, milk and its products, sweet shops, beetle and cigarette shops, stationery, photo copy work, cyber cafe, laundry and dry cleaning shops. "If the MCD desires it can save shopkeepers from being rendered unemployed by pleading their case before the court in a rightful manner. But this was not being done. The Delhi Government and the MCD by presenting the case of lakhs of these shopkeepers before the Court could save their livelihood," they added.

Mr. Gupta said under section 74 of the MCD Act, he had moved a proposal on March 10 in the Corporation so that the House may approve it and the livelihood of about five lakh shopkeepers could be saved. Since the intention of the Government was noble the proposal was not included in the agenda under a planned conspiracy.

It may be mentioned that in the year 2004, the Union Urban Development Ministry had framed a national policy for the rehri patri shopkeepers and hawkers. Under this policy the Central and State Governments had to frame policies for respectful livelihood after the survey of all the shopkeepers.

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