New Delhi, September 21
Bowing to traders pressure, the government today decided to put on hold the sealing of illegal commercial establishments in the national Capital and approach the Supreme Court with a fresh affidavit highlighting the “humanitarian aspect” and the “prevailing situation” ahead of the next hearing on September 25.
A decision to this effect was taken by the newly constituted Group of Ministers (GoM), headed by Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, a day after violent protests against the sealing by traders, in which three persons were killed.
Emerging out of the 90-minute meeting at the North Block here this evening, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit was categoric that no sealing would be done till September 25, the next date of hearing in the Supreme Court. However, Union Law Minister Hansraj Bhardwaj was evasive saying that the sealing was being done under the court’s direction.
The meeting was attended among others by Union Ministers Kamal Nath, Kapil Sibal, Ajay Maken, Solicitor-General G.E. Vahanvatti and Lt-Governor of Delhi B.L. Joshi.
“I want to assure the people of Delhi that till September 25 no sealing will be done,” Ms Dikshit told newspersons with Mr Sibal on her side.
Ahead of the meeting of the GoM, Mr Patil held a series of meeting with officials of the Delhi Government as
well as the Urban Development Ministry and later with Delhi Chief Minister, Lt Governor, Union Home Secretary V.K. Duggal, MCD Commissioner A.K. Nigam.
Representatives of the Confederation of All-India Traders Associations also met the Home Minister and demanded an immediate halt to the ongoing sealing drive against unauthorised commercial establishments.
“We presented a five-point charter of demands to the government, including regularisation of all commercial establishments set up before December 31, 2005, and legalisation of 1,400 unauthorised colonies,” its secretary gen Praveen Khandelwal told newspersons here after the hour-long meeting.
The other demands include scrapping of categorisation of colonies while allowing trading activities and rehabilitation package for the displaced traders.
