Sealing drive: AAP traders’ wing mulls one-day Delhi bandh

Hundreds of traders from across Delhi had on Monday started a protest march from AAP office on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg against the sealing drive. The march ended at the Civic Centre where the agitators staged a demonstration against the MCDs.

The traders wing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has threatened to organise a one-day ‘Delhi Bandh’ against the ongoing sealing drive at markets by the civic bodies, said wing members.

Hundreds of traders from across Delhi had on Monday started a protest march from AAP office on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg against the sealing drive. The march ended at the Civic Centre where the agitators staged a demonstration against the MCDs.

They alleged that the BJP-ruled civic bodies harassed the traders during the sealing drive which being carried out in accordance with instructions of the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.

Hundreds of traders from across Delhi had on Monday started a protest march from AAP office on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg against the sealing drive. The march ended at the Civic Centre where the agitators staged a demonstration against the MCDs.

“Many trade unions approached us after the Monday’s protest suggesting a one-day bandh by shops across Delhi. We are approaching bigger associations for the token strike. We will finalise a date once we are sure about the support,” said Brajesh Goyal, convener of the trade wing.

Goyal said as many as 50 associations affiliated with Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) have already extended support for the strike. CTI, Goyal said, is an umbrella body of over 250 traders associations of Delhi.

“We have been informed that businessmen in markets like Chandni Chowk have also been served notices despite being exempted under the law. The sealing drive is now taking a toll on businesses of small-time traders,” he said.

Officials of three municipal corporations initiated a sealing drive last month, in accordance with the instructions of a Supreme Court-appointed panel that was recently revived by the top court.

The monitoring panel — comprising KJ Rao, former advisor to the Election Commission, Bhure Lal, chairman of Environment Pollution Prevention and Control Authority and major general (retd) Som Jhingan — is also empowered to seal commercial establishments that have done illegal construction and where agricultural land has been misused for commercial purposes. As many as 35 basements of shops were sealed during the drive in Defence Market on Tuesday.