MCD seals 2 guesthouses, one hotel in Paharganj

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday sealed two guesthouses and a hotel in Paharganj area for violation of various norms, including constructing buildings without a sanctioned building plan or a regularisation plan.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Tuesday sealed two guesthouses and a hotel in Paharganj area for violation of various norms, including constructing buildings without a sanctioned building plan or a regularisation plan. A "shocked" Delhi Hotel Mahasangh has strongly criticised the civic body's move.

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MCD officials said they had issued showcause notices to these guesthouses/hotels and 18 others last week, inquiring about the status of the built-up structure on their properties being used as guesthouses/hotels.

The guesthouses/hotels had failed to produce any documents to support their claims, said officials.

Amidst heavy police presence, the authorities sealed Ved Palace, Ved Hans in Gali Ram Nath Patwa and Hotel DRS on Dariba Pan during an operation conducted late on Tuesday evening.

"Action against the remaining guesthouses/hotels will continue to be taken on a case-to-case basis," said Deep Mathur, MCD's director (Press and Information).

Delhi Hotel Mahasangh general secretary Arun Gupta said, "Just two months ago, all the hotels in Paharganj area were pampered by the civic body ahead of the Commonwealth Games. How can we become villains now? I am shocked by the MCD's action."

Gupta also claimed that their appointment with the deputy commissioner in this connection was cancelled at the last moment and the civic body went ahead with the action towards the evening. "The (show cause) notices that the MCD sent last week were not proper. If you cannot figure out what has been asked, how can you reply to it?" he asked.

"When the Supreme Court has banned it, why and how did the MCD give ad-hoc licenses to approximately 100 hotels after 2007?" Gupta asked.