South Corporation to help owners of sealed shops in verifying documents

In case documents are found authentic, the civic body will move the monitoring committee for desealing such properties.

The South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has decided to assist the traders, whose shops were sealed by the monitoring committee in the last one month, to find out if they had actually violated the municipal norms.

South Delhi Municipal Corporation sealed the basements of 35 establishments in Defence Colony on Tuesday even as shop owners claimed they had the revised building plans. (HT Photo)

The decision was taken by the SDMC standing committee chairman Bhupender Gupta at a meeting on Wednesday. This was after the civic body received complaints from councillors and traders regarding some shops being sealed despite having proper documents.

“I have issued direction to the deputy commissioners in all four zones to help such traders and verify their documents. If these are found authentic, then we will pursue move the monitoring committee for desealing such properties,” said Kataria.

On Tuesday, SDMC sealed the basements of 35 establishments in Defence Colony on the direction of the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee, even as shopkeepers claimed they had the revised building plans with them.

“Despite showing sale deed, payment slip for additional floor area ratio, one-time parking charge and use conversion charge (paid at old rates of Rs 6,136 per square metre) to the municipal officials, shops of some traders were sealed on Tuesday,” said Congress councillor Abhishek Dutt during the standing committee meeting.

The shop owners claimed that they were running commercial activities in the basement of their shops since late 1970s and the municipal corporation had approved their building plan in 2000 after regularising the constructions done till 1998. “In the approved building plan, our basements are clearly shown as commercial establishments,” said Jagdish Gupta, general secretary of Defence Colony Market Association.

The standing committee chairman also directed SDMC officials to entertain the requests of traders asking for temporary desealing of properties for removing their goods such as perishable products and important documents. “Recently, the monitoring committee had temporarily desealed four properties including Ramya farmhouse, a popular wedding venue in Chhattarpur, for organising pre-booked events.The farmhouse was sealed on December 26 for misusing ‘agricultural land for commercial use’. Others can also approach us for temporary desealing ,” said Gupta.

The SDMC councillors have also decided to meet the monitoring committee and minister of housing and urban affairs Hardeep Puri on Thursday to appeal to serve 48 hours notice to shop owners before carrying a sealing drive.