Delhi Sealing Drive : De-Sealing Drive in Delhi, Delhi Master Plan 2021 , Your Voice on Delhi Sealing

On the first day of its three-day Delhi bandh against sealing of commercial establishments operating illegally from residential premises in the Capital, traders on Monday will gherao the State Assembly besides keeping their shops and businesses across the city shut. The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is supporting the traders’ agitation, will also hold a demonstration outside the Delhi Assembly on the opening day of its session.

Stating that traders were committed to staging their three-day agitation peacefully without disturbing normal life in the city, Confederation of All-India Traders’ general secretary Praveen Khandelwal said the traders would show their strength outside the Assembly and highlight their plight. “Traders from all market associations will assemble outside the Delhi Assembly to press upon the Government to find a permanent solution to the problem so that shops of lakhs of traders could be saved from sealing.” CAIT has called a 72-hour bandh and around 500 various market associations and traders’ bodies are supporting the agitation.

During the bandh, traders would hold dharnas and public meetings in different markets. To make the agitation successful, CAIT has divided the city into 10 zones. It will deploy its teams in these zones which would monitor the agitation and ensure that traders do not resort to any kind of violence and do not disrupt normal life of common man.

Though the Delhi Government and the MCD are reluctant about resuming the sealing drive against 45,000-odd shop-owners in A and B category colonies and polluting and hazardous businesses from November 1 fearing law and order problem, traders have threatened to intensify their protest if the Government fails to provide relief to them immediately. “We want sealing to stop till the Master Plan for Delhi-2021 is implemented,” Mr. Khandelwal demanded.

After the violence during the September 20 bandh, which had claimed four lives in Seelampur, both Delhi Police and Delhi Government are jittery over the bandh this time and are taking extra precautions. “We have ensured Delhi Police that the entire agitation would be peaceful,” he added. On its part, Delhi Police has geared up for the bandh and will be deploying extra force in the city, particularly in sensitive areas, to avert any untoward incident. It has also urged traders not to damage public property and ensure that no inconvenience is caused to citizens.

All the major markets will remain shut for three days. These include Karol Bagh, Kamla Nagar, Jagatpuri, Lajpat Nagar, South Extension, Greater Kailash, Paharganj, Tilak Nagar, Chandni Chowk, Daryaganj, Uttam Nagar, Vikas Marg, Gandhi Nagar, Rajouri Garden, Rohini, Ashok Vihar, GT Karnal Road, Sadar Bazar, Yusuf Sarai, Shahdara, Green Park, Shalimar Bagh, Punjabi Bagh, Azad Market and Naraina.