NEW DELHI: The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Saturday conveyed to the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee its inability to resume the sealing drive from November 1, stating the exercise could lead to a major law and order problem. Over 45,000 traders had submitted affidavits in the court that they would stop misuse of their residential property.

In a related development, Congress president Sonia Gandhi assured traders that her party and Government were with them and would do everything possible to protect their interests. She gave this assurance when a delegation of the Confederation of All-India Traders (CAIT), led by general secretary Praveen Khandelwal, met her at her house here on Saturday afternoon.

The CAIT, along with other trade associations, has called a three-day Delhi bandh beginning October 30.

Tense situation

A Group of Ministers, which met under the leadership of Home Minister Shivraj Patil, expressed concern over the emerging situation and felt that the atmosphere was not conducive to sealing operations.

The GoM was informed that the MCD had, in its written submission to the monitoring committee, cited the law and order situation and the tension prevailing in the city as one of the major reasons for not undertaking the sealing drive on the scheduled date. The GoM directed the Union Urban Development Ministry as well as the MCD to approach the court with a plea to seek a review of its earlier orders.

Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy informed the GoM that the new master plan of Delhi 2021 would be notified by January next. Among others present at the meeting were Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal, Minister for Social Welfare Meira Kumar, Law and Justice Minister H.R. Bhardwaj, Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken, Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and Lieutenant Governor B.L. Joshi.

Fresh survey

It is understood that the Urban Development Ministry as well as the MCD, in its plea to the court, will state that all those shopkeepers who are covered by the September 7 notification of the Ministry, the categories defined by the court and those who have submitted affidavits should be exempted from the sealing operations.

The Corporation will approach the court with a fresh list of roads and areas it proposes to notify for mixed land and commercial use after conducting a fresh survey.

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