Small shops in city to stay

Small traders in the Capital are set to benefit following the Union Urban Development Ministry’s notification to legalise small shops of up to 20 square metre, reports Moushumi Das Gupta.

Delhi residents never had it this good, courtesy the forthcoming Assembly elections.

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About three lakh small traders in the Capital are set to benefit following the Union Urban Development Ministry’s (UDM) notification on Wednesday to legalise small shops of up to 20 square metre that have been running on ground floor in both residential and commercial areas across the city. The notification will come into force from Thursday.

The icing on the cake is the UDM’s decision to allow all such small shops – dealing in the prescribed 26 non polluting activities like general store, vegetables, bakery, poultry, laundry, tailoring, ration shops etc. – to run from ground floor of residential/commercial areas in future also. However, there is a rider. Only upto four shops on the ground floor would be allowed.

Also in colonies, which come under A&B category like Vasant Lok and Gulmohar Park, small shops that have come up before February 2007 will only be allowed to run. In future only one shop will be allowed on the ground floor. “Our idea is to provide relief not only to the traders but also to people living in residential area who will not have to go far from his home to get a household item,” said Ajay Maken, Union Minister of State for Urban Development. Other activities that will be legalised following Wednesday’s notification include:

Professional Activity

All such professional activities that have been specified in the Master Plan like engineering, town planning, company secretaries, offices of property dealers, travels agents and non government organisations would be allowed to run from basement of residential colonies that fall under mixed land use

Projections/ alterations

All projections that have come up in houses before February 2007 in unauthorised regularised colonies, resettlement colonies, village abadi areas and colonies that have come up before 1962 will be regularised.

Shops in DDA flats

Shops running on the ground floor of DDA flats falling in mixed land used area and that have come up before February 2007 will be legalized.

Coaching Institutes

Coaching institutes and tuition centers will be allowed to run from ground floor of Cooperative Group Society.