The Bharatiya Janata Party as well as the Congress have condemned the drive carried out by the UT estate office to remove the signboards and encroachments in Sector 17 on Monday morning.
The city member of Parliament (MP), Kirron Kher, on Monday termed drive as “sad”. “I have talked to the UT administration authorities after the traders met me and I am hopeful that we will come up with a concrete solution. We must take the traders on board before carrying out any such enforcement drives. Moreover, we should be a little more clear about the bylaws and the exact size of the boards as there is still confusion.”
Kirron said, “The Sector 17 market is the heart of the city and we must keep in mind the revenue loss to the traders before carrying out any such drive. The administration can do their job, but they should have better co-ordination with the traders. The surprise drive has affected the business of the traders.”
Local BJP chief Sanjay Tandon said, “The incident was brought to my knowledge by the traders. I called up the deputy commissioner and brought to his notice the atrocities being committed on the traders. The DC promised that he will look into the matter but by that time the damage had been done. I want to bring the issue in the notice of UT administrator Kaptan Singh Solanki. Whosoever has gone beyond the draft and damaged the buildings where violations didn’t exist would be taken to task.”
{{/usCountry}}Local BJP chief Sanjay Tandon said, “The incident was brought to my knowledge by the traders. I called up the deputy commissioner and brought to his notice the atrocities being committed on the traders. The DC promised that he will look into the matter but by that time the damage had been done. I want to bring the issue in the notice of UT administrator Kaptan Singh Solanki. Whosoever has gone beyond the draft and damaged the buildings where violations didn’t exist would be taken to task.”
{{/usCountry}}Blaming the BJP, Chandigarh Congress president Pardeep Chhabra held the central government responsible for the drive. Chhabra said that the harsh action against the traders had proved that no one was safe under the BJP rule.
“Working class and farmers are already facing a tough time due to the price rise, and traders are being harassed. The traders suffered huge losses due to snapping of the telephone lines and electricity wires.”
The Aam Aadmi Party volunteer Naresh Garg also termed the drive as unfortunate. “The administration should have given some time to the traders,” he said.