NEW DELHI: Annoyed over the slow pace of the ongoing sealing drive against illegal commercial establishments in the Capital, the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee has asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to deploy additional teams so that more properties could be targeted. This decision also comes after the drive has remained peaceful and traders have also ceased to hold major protests.

The operation that resumed on November 8 and completed its five days on Tuesday has seen merely 738 units (offices and shops) getting sealed, while the MCD has on its hands the mammoth task of sealing around 44,000-odd illegal shops and offices whose owners had earlier filed affidavits.

Despite forming five to six sealing squads in each of the 12 civic zones, the MCD has so far not been able to utilise them properly. Moreover, its drive has remained confined to just three civic zones — Central, South and Najafgarh.

Though a large number of Delhi police and paramilitary force personnel have been given to the civic body to ensure that sealing operation is carried out peacefully, the drive so far has been a "go-slow" affair.

The Corporation has targeted only around two to three dozen properties each day having multiple shops and offices.

New action plan

The Monitoring Committee has prepared a new action plan where it will be directing the MCD to carry out simultaneous drives in other zones every day. More than two to three teams are now likely to take part in the sealing operation in other zones also. They will be accompanied by officials of power and water departments who will disconnect electricity and water connections installed in illegal commercial establishments.

On Tuesday, the MCD carried out a sealing drive on Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, falling in the South and Najafgarh zones.

It also targeted some properties in Qutab Institutional Area after the Delhi Development Authority approached it. Apart from sealing an office of the Department of Science and Technology, MCD squads sealed Satya Paul's boutique and a government-run wine shop.

Earlier this year, MG Road had seen demolitions of illegal structures, including two famous shopping malls, by the MCD. But this time the civic body has started sealing illegal showrooms, restaurants and other residential properties being misused for commercial activities.

These included CRC furniture showroom, Avlon Apartments being misused as a guest house, prominent showroom of stone artefacts Empire Estate Building, showrooms of leading brands Lacoste, Adidas and IFB, automobile showroom Car Mart, Giovani Restaurant, and furniture showrooms Concept and Eminent.

In Qutab Institutional Area, it sealed a multi-storey building of the Vaitalik Cultural Association and a five-storey building Nam Gyal.

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