Traders threaten indefinite shutdown over sealing drive

Traders have threatened to scale up their protests, including launching a hunger strike and an indefinite shutdown, if no solution was reached by March 13, the day they have called for a Delhi bandh.

Condemning the alleged baton-charge on traders at Lajpat Nagar on Thursday, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has called for day-long trade bandh to lodge their strong resentment against the sealing of business establishments.

“The authorities and police are treating us like terrorists. Under the guise of the Supreme Court’s order and using police force, sealing is being conducted by sidelining provisions of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act while no action is taken against the defaulting MCD officials,” Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general, CAIT, said.

On the day of the bandh, traders will lay siege to the municipal corporation’s headquarters at the Civic Centre.

“If there is no solution even after the bandh, then we will resort to chakka-jam at borders, hunger strike and corner MCD employees. The authorities and apex court need to understand that development or changes that happened in last 50 years can’t be rectified overnight,” said Jagdish Gupta, secretary, Defence Colony Market Association.

Failing to hear anything positive from the civic authorities and the Centre on the sealing issue so far, traders said that they might go for an indefinite strike, even if it causes inconvenience to Delhiites.

“To make the traders’ campaign against sealing a success, it is important that small traders and offices in residential colonies join the trade bandh and bring the lifeline of the city to a standstill,” Khandelwal said.

“During the last two shutdowns, smaller markets, including Amar Colony, kept their shops and offices open. The experience in the last one month tells that the threat of sealing looms large on retail markets and offices compared to the wholesale markets,” said Delhi Jan Jagran Manch secretary Praveen Shankar Kapoor.

A monitoring committee member however said sealing will continue. “The double-storey flats in Lajpat Nagar IV were allocated by the Land and Development Authority for residential purposes in the 1950s but over the period of time, these were converted into shops and even common areas, roads were encroached for commercial purposes and this has called for sealing action,” said the member.