NEW DELHI: Even as the capital witnessed a near-total bandh for the second consecutive day against sealing of illegal commercial establishments operating from residential areas, the Centre on Tuesday decided to move the Supreme Court to seek relief for affected traders.

However, the court-appointed Monitoring Committee asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to resume the sealing drive from November 2.

Though the drive was to begin on November 1, the committee decided to postpone it by a day in view of the three-day Delhi bandh called by the traders.

Mounting pressure

With traders taking to the streets, pressure mounted on the Union Urban Development Ministry to find a way out of the situation. Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy said the Centre would file a review petition on Wednesday, requesting the court to spare the traders including the 45,000 who had filed affidavits.

Mr. Reddy said the Group of Ministers, formed by Prime Minster Manmohan Singh to look into the issue, was of the view that relief should be provided to all traders. He ruled out more notifications on mixed land use in the capital. "We have also decided to expedite the process of finalisation of the Master Plan for Delhi-2021 by the end of January 2007."

The Centre's stand has come as a major relief to both the Delhi Government and the MCD, which fears large-scale violence if the sealing drive is resumed on Wednesday, last day of the ongoing strike.

The MCD on Tuesday approached the court seeking relief for the shop-owners who had filed affidavits pledging to stop misuse of their residential premises. As they are covered under the Delhi Government notification on 2,200-odd roads for inclusion in the commercial and mixed land use categories, the MCD has sought relief for them on the ground that they should be treated on a par with other traders of these areas.

Continuing agitation

Most retail and wholesale shops and business establishments remained closed. Ignoring requests by the Centre and the Delhi Government to call off their agitation, the traders organised dharnas, demonstrations and road blockades at several places.

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