CAIT urges Centre to promulgate ordinance

New Delhi, September 21

A month after the Supreme Court deferred hearing on matters related to sealing to next February, a traders body said today that it has urged the Centre to promulgate an ordinance to protect their establishments from closure due to the drive.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in a statement said it has sent a communication to Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri in this connection.

The apex court on August 14 had said that issues related to validity of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006, and subsequent legislations, which protect unauthorised constructions from being sealed in the national capital, would be heard in February next year.

The CAIT in the communication sent to Puri has asked for "promulgation of an ordinance to protect Delhi from sealing".

It has also called for a "one-time amnesty scheme" which means a "status quo" should me maintained as on December 31, 2017, and "violations if any should be condoned by levying certain reasonable charges".

CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal said it has written to Home Minister Rajnath Singh too, calling for his immediate intervention in the matter.

The traders body has already called for a Delhi Trade Bandh on September 28. The sealing had begin in December last year, and the DDA had brought in amendments to the Master Plan of Delhi 2021, seeking to bring relief to traders affected by the drive being undertaken by a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.

BJP leaders express concern over party's 'failure' to protest

BJP leaders today expressed concern over the party's "failure" to come forward in protest against the sealing drive here that has affected a large number of people.

This was highlighted by several party leaders, including Union Minister Vijay Goel, on the first day of the Delhi BJP's executive committee meeting.

The committee also supported Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari's action of breaking the lock of a sealed property in east Delhi's Gokalpur area last Sunday, a member of the committee said.

The leaders, including Goel, highlighted the plight of people hit by sealing and expressed concern that BJP leaders in Delhi unit "failed" to launch an agitation against it, he said.

"Many leaders stated sufferings of people due to the sealing drive with Goel saying that the party was unable to voice their sentiment and launch an agitation on the issue," another BJP leader said.

Goel in the past months has visited many parts of the city hit by the sealing drive to meet the affected people. Recently, he also joined a protest against sealing in north west Delhi's Tri Nagar area.

The sealing drive has emerged as a major issue in the run up to the approaching Lok Sabha elections, with the Congress and AAP slamming the BJP government at the Centre for not coming out with an ordinance to stop the drive carried out by party ruled municipal corporations under supervision of a Supreme Court mandated monitoring committee.

Some executive members also questioned the role of officials who were responsible for allowing "illegal" constructions in the city.

The meeting started with Tiwari emphasising the need to extend help and support to people who were affected due to the sealing drive.

The municipal corporations are carrying out the drive for violations of Delhi Master Plan and other irregularities under the guidance of the monitoring committee.

The Delhi BJP chief has been issued a contempt notice by the Supreme Court for Gokalpur incident and summoned in the matter on September 25. — PTI