Delhi traders request MCD not to seal commercial units in residential areas

Delhi traders met MCD commissioner to discuss concerns over potential sealing of commercial units in residential areas amid a new citywide survey.

Published on: May 2, 2026, 03:50:17 IST

By Aaditya Khatwani

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New Delhi: A group of Delhi-based traders met Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) commissioner Sanjeev Khirwar on Friday to raise concerns about the potential large-scale sealing of commercial units in residential areas.

This comes after the MCD started a citywide survey last week to identify residential premises being misused for non-residential or commercial purposes in compliance with a Supreme Court order issued earlier in April.

The delegation of traders and entrepreneurs, led by Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) chairman Brijesh Goyal, requested the commissioner not to take any sealing actions. “Once the Delhi Master Plan 2041 is implemented, the real picture of the city’s markets, industrial areas, residential areas and commercial areas will be revealed. Therefore, no survey and sealing action should be carried out in Delhi until the master plan comes into force,” the CTI stated.

It added that no area in Delhi is completely residential, and that 24 categories of commercial activities are allowed in residential areas, and thus clarity is required on the demarcation of residential and commercial areas.

Speaking to HT, Goyal stated that traders were worried as a similar circular had been issued in 2006, following which large-scale sealing of shops had taken place. “The commissioner stated that the MCD is in touch with Delhi government, New Delhi Municipal Council, the Delhi Development Authority, and other agencies, and further action will be taken only after consulting everyone and traders will not be harassed in any way,” said Goyal.

Goyal added that the commissioner also informed the group that traders and entrepreneurs in the city will be able to, from Friday, acquire their trade license online by paying a 15% fee along with their property tax, with an official order for the same expected in 1 or 2 days.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Aaditya Khatwani
Aaditya Khatwani is a city reporter at Hindustan Times, where he covers the environment, weather, forests, and art and culture for Delhi. He joined the Hindustan Times newsroom in 2025, after graduating from the Asian College of Journalism, in Chennai, and has also covered Delhi’s civic bodies. His reporting blends ground reportage and data-based narratives with human interest stories from the city.Since joining HT, he has published many stories on the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the New Delhi Municipal Council, and the civic issues in the city. This includes stories on the city’s green divide and the lack of proper footpaths, on which he also filmed and produced a 15-part video series, visiting different parts of the city to assess their footpaths.His coverage on art has included stories on the prominent art events in the city, such as the India Art Fair and DAG India’s “The City as a Museum” event. He also writes about the city’s evolving culture, such as the recent trend of lectures being hosted in bars.Read More

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