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MCD takes stock of the situation

Staff Reporter

Congress Councillors are in a state of shock

NEW DELHI: With the Supreme Court on Thursday ordering resumption of sealing drive against unauthorised commercial establishments in residential areas in a month's time, senior Municipal Corporation of Delhi officials held discussions regarding preparations for the forthcoming sealing drive. At Town Hall, the Congress Councillors were in a state of shock, while Bharatiya Janata Party members lashed at the Centre accusing it of having failed to safeguards livelihoods of a large number of residents working in these shops for years.

Though the civic body's official spokesperson refused to comment on the issue till they studied the court order, a senior official informed that Municipal Commissioner A. K. Nigam held a meeting with senior officers and took stock of the situation.

The meeting not only discussed the ongoing action against unauthorised constructions, all Deputy Commissioners have been told to carry out surveys in their areas and prepare plans on how to carry out sealing drives in a systematic way in their areas.

"As per the court order, we will not only have to seal around 5,000-odd shops that were de-sealed after the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006, came into force, but also seal more than 41,000 illegal shops across the city whose owners had earlier submitted affidavits with the civic body as per the Apex court orders," said a Deputy Commissioner, adding: "We will have conduct a fresh survey of our zones to find out current status of illegal shops running from residential areas. After the new Act, a majority of shops that were sealed earlier had again started operating."

Meanwhile, at Town Hall, the Congress Councillors were deeply concerned with the new court order.

"We have just suffered a massive defeat in a municipal by-election, and with MCD elections just six months away, resumption of sealing exercise will prove to be disastrous for us," said a senior Congress Councillor, hoping that the Centre might find a way out to give much-needed relief to residents.

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