56 properties, including automobile showrooms, sealed in Delhi

As many as 56 establishments, including showrooms of automobile majors, in south Delhi's Vasant Kunj were today sealed for "misuse" and "encroachment" of property, the area's civic body today said.

The action was taken on the instruction of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.

"As per the instructions of the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, a massive sealing action was taken against 56 major establishments at Aruna Asif Ali Road, Vasat Kunj," the SDMC said in a statement.

Various hotels, showrooms of major global automobile brands, banquet halls, workshops, offices and other buildings were "sealed after the DDA officers present there verified the shops and establishments and confirmed the violations about misuse and encroachments," it said.
 

Meanwhile, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) also sealed 17 illegal shops in Karol Bagh. The civic body today also sealed "18 illegal meal shops", the statement said.

These shops were being run from many years. In addition to this, a diesel generator was also removed in order to curb pollution, it said.

"Besides, 1,000 shopkeepers in Karol Bagh Zone of the NDMC have been given show cause notices regarding encroachment outside their shops. If they do not remove it, strict action would be taken against them," the statement said.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) reacted strongly to the ongoing sealing drive alleging that the corporations are sealing properties in "utter violation" of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957, which was passed by Parliament as a statutory Act.

"The CAIT is all set to submit an exhaustive charge sheet to Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Lt Governor of Delhi Anil Baijal to take action against erring officials," CAIT, Secretary General, Praveen Khandelwal said in a statement.

"The drive of sealing of commercial establishments in Delhi will destroy the distributive character of trade of Delhi and will put lakhs of traders and their employees out of job, if immediate steps are not taken by the MCD and both the central and the Delhi government to protect the traders," he said.