Anti-encroachment drive at Delhi's Khan Market, traders' body says NDMC ‘misguided’

While the NDMC said that the encroachment drive was carried out only after sending out notices, the traders said no prior notices were given.

Delhi's upscale Khan Market drew focus recently after the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) launched an anti-encroachment drive and took down signages of several shops and restaurants there on Monday.

NDMC launched an anti-encroachment drive to remove 'oversized' signages in Khan Market on Monday. (ANI videograb)

The authorities reportedly termed the signages oversized and non-compliant under the Outdoor Advertisement Policy (OAP), 2017.

The NDMC also removed claddings and water motors installed near building boundaries, describing them as encroachments on public land, The Times of India reported.

However, the drive was called off later after the shop-owners in Khan Market said they had reached out to NDMC officials and local representatives.

‘NDMC misguided’: What traders said

While the NDMC said that the encroachment drive was carried out only after sending out notices, the traders disputed the claim and said the authorities went ahead with the demolitions without any prior notices.

The action has sparked sharp criticism from Khan Market traders as they raised questions over the civic body's assessment of encroachment in the market.

Khan Market Traders' Association president Sanjeev Mehra said the NDMC was a ‘little misguided’ in believing that there was massive encroachment there.

Mehra claimed that the objections were limited to "small projections" that protruded. He added that the traders had repeatedly asked senior NDMC officials to examine the documents provided to them at the time of allotment.

“NDMC is a little misguided that there is massive encroachment in Khan Market. But there is nothing like that. Small projections are protruding, which they had a little objection to. We had been telling NDMC again and again that their senior officers should come and see our papers, which were given to us at the time of allotment. Based on that, they should decide whether there is an encroachment and how much it is. We had been waiting for them to come, but before they could, they suddenly initiated action (on Monday). They came here with a JCB,” Mehra was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Mehra noted that Khan Market had not had any visible encroachment for the past 76 years as he termed the NDMC action as "very sad". He said the traders had also raised the matter with BJP MP Bansuri Swaraj, who, according to him, had no knowledge of the action.

"For the past 76 years, Khan Market has been a place where one would not find any visible encroachment. What happened yesterday was very sad, and we also objected to it. We told Bansuri Swaraj about it. She had no knowledge of it. Who ordered it? NDMC has not given us any clarity. We have sent another letter to Bansuri Swaraj, asking her to visit here with officials. I think she will visit after the Parliament session and make a decision. We do not want to oppose the government's progressive moves, but there should be uniformity. The notice they had sent us was very vague," Mehra added.