Hero Image

SC panel asks for sealing at Rajouri Garden market

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee has written to South Delhi Municipal Corporation, asking it to start issuing sealing notices in Rajouri Garden main market . The orders were communicated to the SDMC commissioner and the deputy commissioner of west zone — under whose jurisdiction the Rajouri Garden area falls — on Wednesday.



“This is in continuation to the sealing order dated May14, 2018 in which the monitoring committee had directed to seal the shops located on the non-notified road of Rajouri Garden main market, after following due process of law,” the communication reads.

It adds that despite the earlier order, ‘no sealing action has been taken till date.’ “In view of this (lack of action), the committee directs the deputy commissioner of the west zone to issue notices giving 48 hours, as per the existing policy, for a reply to why the premises being misused should not be sealed,” the letter states. The committee has set a September-end deadline for complete sealing action.

It is estimated that around 800 shops and commercial establishments will be impacted if the sealing drive is initiated in the market. Last year, the officials had refused to act upon the sealing directions citing that the said road is one among the 351 stretches that are in the process of being notified for allowing such commercial activity.

Responding to the development, Ramesh Khanna from Rajouri Garden market association said that traders are being terrorised through issuance of such letters. “Last year too, the then deputy commissioner had informed the sealing panel that this road can be notified at any time. Nothing has changed now on the ground so how can they start the sealing drive,” he asked.

The notification of 351 roads for commercial use has remained a contentious issue from last decade. These roads were identified in 2007 and both the state government and the corporation have repeatedly blamed each other for delay in the notification process.

READ ON APP