Shops to be desealed minus the penalty

The SC has asked the MCD to deseal shops without charging any penalty, an order that will benefit nearly 10,000 shops, reports Neelam Pandey.

Traders until now being asked to pay a steep penalty in return for opening their shops sealed under a government drive have a reason to smile. The Supreme Court has asked the Municipal Corporation of Delhi to deseal these shops without charging any penalty, an order that will benefit nearly 10,000 shops.

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A committee set up by the court to oversee the sealing and demolition drives had earlier ordered that traders whose shops were sealed for carrying out commercial activities on ‘non-notified’ areas will have to pay a hefty penalty for getting their properties desealed. The MCD opposed the move and requested the court that such properties be de-sealed in return for no penalty.

“We had stated in the court that as the traders were giving us an undertaking that they will not be misusing their premises, hence no penalty should be imposed on them and the court has agreed to that. These traders had neither paid conversion charges nor got their shops registered, hence the question of paying a hefty penalty does not arise,” said Vijendra Gupta, Chairman, MCD Standing Committee.

Recently the civic body had provided temporary relief to such traders by granting permission to get their properties de-sealed for four days so they could remove all goods.