6 yrs and counting for traders as de-sealing tussle continues

De-sealing shops at local shopping centres (LSCs) is the latest point of contention between two distinct authorities of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD)-the executive wing (comprising bureaucrats), and the deliberative wing (of councillors, led by the Aam Aadmi Party.

- Paras Singh

Thousands of properties across the Capital have been sealed over the last six years by a monitoring committee mandated by the Supreme Court over alleged landuse violations.

On Monday, the MCD house of councillors in a special meeting passed a resolution stating that municipal commissioner Gyanesh Bharti should commence the de-sealing drive on January 19. A similar resolution passed by the house on December 23, 2023 did not lead to any de-sealing activity on the ground, and the matter has been taken to the Supreme Court.

Years after they were shut, however, markets across the city continue to bear the brunt of the sealing drive. Jagdish Gupta, secretary of the Defence Colony Market Association, said that the monitoring committee's argument was that only the ground floor was meant for commercial use, while the upper floors were meant for residential purposes.

"The financial implications for traders have been massive. Many were forced to sell their properties, and go to rented accommodations in Noida and Greater Noida. The footfall went down drastically, and a flourishing market was ruined," Gupta argued.

What prompted the sealing drive?

The latest sealing data (updated till December 2023) shows that 9,444 properties across Delhi were sealed by various agencies-4,509 properties for unauthorised construction, and 4,945 for land misuse. Of the properties that were sealed, 3,805 have been de-sealed, and the application of another 2,823 units has been submitted, which means that 5,639 properties still remain shut.

The city first witnessed a largescale sealing and demolition drive in 2006, when more than 5,000 properties were shut. That drive was stopped after the then central government intervened and enacted the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006, to provide protection to hundreds of thousands of properties.