While blaming the Delhi government for the ongoing sealing drive, Khandelwal said, "Onus lies on the urban development department of the Delhi government to actively look in to the issue and protect the traders. The government can not pass buck on either MCD or Central government."

It is highly regretted that 351 roads had been identified by the MCD for declaration as commercial or mix land use and the proposal for the same had been sent to the Delhi government for notifying such roads. Unfortunately, both Shiela Dikshit and Arvind Kejriwal government had so far not notified the roads depriving lakhs of traders from the benefit, as per a statement from CAIT.

It is high time now that the Delhi government starts acting on the matter, notifying the roads immediately.

He said that sealing business premises without following mandatory provisions of the MCD Act amounts to violation of principle of natural justice.

"Even in an ordinary circumstances, a show cause notice and opportunity of hearing is given to meet the ends of justice. MCD Act is a statutory Act passed by the Parliament and therefore everyone is obliged to comply the provisions of the Act," he said.

He recalled that in the year 2007, Secretary, Ministry of Urban Development while filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court had confessed that during four decades, the government had developed only 16 per cent of the commercial space in Delhi, and the rest of the 84 per cent required commercial space was developed by traders with their own capital and hard work.

"The current Master Plan 2021 was put to review by the Government and though eight years have passed but still the Master Plan is under review. This speaks of the lethargic and callous attitude of the Government officials and it is irony that on the lapses of the Government officials, the traders have been made scapegoat," Khandelwal alleged.