Sadar Bazar: Sealing notices to more shops, traders seek relief

NEW DELHI: Trader associations of Sadar Bazar met the deputy commissioner (city-Sadar Paharganj) on Tuesday after more shopkeepers were served notices over alleged misuse of residential properties for commercial purposes.

The traders claimed that five people were issued notices for facing sealing action if they didn’t bring the complex in permitted use within 48 hours.

Last week, the civic body had sealed 25 properties in 17 buildings for the alleged misuse.

“The deputy commissioner told us that the action has been taken on the direction of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee and MCD can’t provide them any relief. We were also informed that a survey is being conducted in the area and more properties are likely to get notices for carrying commercial activities on non-notified roads,” said Brijesh Goyal, chairman of Chamber of Trade and Industry.

“We failed to understand the reason for initiating the drive all of a sudden and at a time when no government is in power in MCD,” said Goyal.

Rakesh Yadav, president, Federation of Sadar Bazar RWAs, said that they were going to meet members of the monitoring committee for permission to at least allow the traders to take out their bill books and other important stuff. “We were told that around 250 shops were served notices. The only option now is to notify the roads,” he added.

MCD officials, meanwhile, stated that the action was pending for a long time.

“The notices are being served on the basis of a survey done in the past on the SC-appointed monitoring committee’s direction and more people are likely to face action. There were 16 properties located on non-notified Jatwara and Shivaji roads, which were sealed last week, and five more properties on Shivaji Road were served notices later,” stated a civic official.

While traders argue that the market belongs to the Mughal era and during a survey in 2004, it was found 95% commercialised, an MCD official said that the building department could anytime take action for misuse on non-notified areas/roads and violation of Delhi Master Plan 2021 Act.

“There are instances wherein shopkeepers claimed that their shops were old, but we found those expanded vertically/horizontally in violation of norms and without paying misuse charges,” the official added.

In the notice issued to a trader on Monday, it was mentioned that, “upon verifying all files and relevant papers, the premise is found to be misused. Therefore, you are directed to bring it in permitted use in 48 hours, file an affidavit in the prescribed format that you should stop the misuse and also liable to pay a penalty amounting to twelve times the conversion charges, failing which the premises will be sealed without further notice.”