74 shops sealed

As many as 74 shops/ properties were sealed by all the three municipal corporations in Delhi. North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NMC) sealed 33 shops in Inderpuri, Panjabi Bagh, Rohini sectoe 7, 8 nad 16, Shalimar Bagh, Outram Line and Gijrawala Town.

East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) sealed a total of 39 shops. 12 shops sealed in Anand Vihar, 18 in Balbir Nagar and nine in Shakarpur. However, South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) sealed only one property in Mahavir Nagar.

A senior corporation official said that all the shops and properties were sealed for a number of reasons including unauthorised construction of offices and rooms at different floors and ongoing commercial activities at basement and stilt parking areas, non-payment of conversion charges, and encroachment.

The SC-appointed monitoring committee visited the market and instructed officials of building department of the SDMC to seal the shops running at unauthorised constructions.

"The order to seal the shops was issued by the committee appointed by the SC and we have acted accordingly. There is no need for sending any prior notice just before the action in that case," said a senior official from SDMC.

The monitoring committee, which was revived on December 15 last year, has three members including former adviser to the Election Commission KJ Rao, chairman of Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) Bhure Lal and Major General (retd) Som Jhingan.