New Delhi: Traders body CAIT has urged Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal to demarcate 351 roads in Delhi for commercial and mixed land use to protect shops from being sealed by the municipal corporation.
“The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) today called upon the chief minister to intervene in the matter and has further asked the CM to pass 351 roads as commercial and mixed land use pending before the Delhi government since last more than five years,” CAIT said in a statement.
CAIT has urged Kejriwal to represent the traders of Delhi in the Supreme Court as was done during the regime of Congress led by Sheila Dikshit in past to protect the traders.
“… 351 roads have been identified by the MCD for declaration as commercial or mix land use and has been sent to Delhi government for notifying such roads. Unfortunately, earlier Sheila Dikshit and the Kejriwal government has so far not notified the roads depriving lakhs of traders from the benefit,” CAIT said.
The Aam Aadmi Party has accused the BJP government at the Centre of helping big businessmen by destroying the smaller ones with MCD sealing their shops in various markets in the national capital.
CAIT Secretary General Praveen Khandelwal alleged that the MCD officials violating all norms and statutory provisions of MCD Act for carrying sealing operations under the directions of monitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court.
He, however, held the Delhi government responsible for the the ongoing sealing.
“Onus lies on the urban development department of the Delhi government to actively look into the issue and protect the traders. The government cannot pass on buck on either MCD or the Central government,” the statement said.
Khandelwal said that sealing business premises without following mandatory provisions of the MCD Act amounts to violation of principle of natural justice.
“Even in an ordinary circumstance, a show-cause notice and opportunity of hearing is given to meet the ends of justice. MCD Act is a statutory Act passed by Parliament and therefore everyone is obliged to comply with the provisions of the Act,” he said.
Khandelwal claimed that in 2007, the then Secretary for Ministry of Urban Development while filing an affidavit in the Supreme Court had said that during four decades, the government could develop only 16 per cent of the commercial space in Delhi, the rest 84 per cent required commercial space was developed by traders with their own capital.
“He further said that current Master Plan 2021 was put to review by the government and though eight years have passed but still the Master Plan is under review. This speaks of the lethargic and callous attitude of the government officials and it is irony that on the lapses of the government officials, the traders have been made scapegoat,” Khandelwal alleged.
PTI