NEW DELHI: With the sealing drive completing its one year today, the opposition in the Delhi Assembly, comprising four BJP MLAs, went and met Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal in the morning before planning to raise the issue in the Assembly, but the matter was not discussed by the government on Friday.  
“We went and met the Lieutenant Governor in order to request to raise the issue of sealing drive done by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). The corporation is even sealing household industries, which are permitted to run, hence the sealing drive is being done blindly,” said Leader of Opposition Vijendra Gupta.

The sealing commenced from Defence Colony market on December 22, 2017 and is still being conducted at areas where many traders have started commercial activities in residential areas. Directions to the civic bodies for sealing came through a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.  Traders at these markets have been claiming that when these areas were purchased by them it was on commercial rates and not as residential areas, hence no need for the conversion charge. But the corporation has stated that before using the space, a conversion charge is to be deposited by the owners for the use of the area for commercial activity.

The AAP in the past pinned the blame for the sealing drive on the BJP government in the Centre and the MCD which is also ruled by BJP councillors. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on many occasions has stated that bringing a resolution in the Parliament is the only way to stop the drive.