Delhi Government plans notification on sealing

New Delhi: The Delhi government on Monday said that it will issue a notification on mixed-land use along 351 roads soon after the Supreme Court approves it, paving the way for legalising commercial establishments in the national capital. 

The move is intended to avoid the sealing drive against commercial establishments along these roads and to provide relief to the hapless traders.

“We have submitted a notification copy in the Supreme Court seeking its approval. Once the Supreme Court allows it, the Delhi government will issue the notification for these mixed-land use of the 351 roads,” urban development minister Satyendra Jain said.

The minister said that the government has appointed two lawyers to present the case in the apex court, as demanded by both the BJP and the Congress. 

The minister said that the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) should also appoint lawyers such as Harish Salve on the sealing issue in the Supreme Court.

Meanwhile, around seven lakh business establishments and more than 3,000 commercial markets in the capital, including Chandni Chowk, Connaught Place and Lajpat Nagar, will remain closed on March 28 as the traders will organise a mega rally to demand protection from the sealing drive. 

Besides the traders and their employees, families of businessmen will also participate in the rally to be held at the Ramlila grounds, Praveen Khandelwal, general secretary of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) said.

Traders across the capital will not send their children to school and colleges on that day as a mark of protest, he said.

“The trade and economy of the capital is badly affec ted and in the past three months business has dropped by as much as 40 per cent. If this continues, the traders will be left with no option, but to shift their businesses to neighbouring cities. Such a move will cause a huge revenue loss to the Delhi government,” Mr Khandelwal said.

The sealing drive is being carried out by the municipal corporations against commercial establishments, following the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed Monitoring Committee, for allegedly violating municipal guidelines. 

The Aam Aadmi Party government has been maintaining that the sealing drive has not taken place on the 351 roads so far. 

The BJP has accused the government of delaying the notification due to which the traders may face problems.