MCDs to move SC, seek stay on sealing

New Delhi: In order to reach out to the trading community in the national capital, the three municipal corporations on Saturday held an emergency joint session and passed a resolution “requesting that the ongoing sealing of properties be stayed for six months”.

The three BJP-ruled municipal corporations jointly resolved to file an appeal in the Supreme Court seeking a six-month stay on the ongoing sealing drive to give relief to traders, even as chaos marred the proceedings of the House.

The joint session of the three civic bodies — North, South and East Delhi Municipal Corporations — had barely started when it was rocked by protests by AAP members.

The BJP councillors also added to the commotion by engaging in heated exchange with their AAP counterparts as the House witnessed complete pandemonium.

The AAP members trooped into the Well of the House, holding placards and raising slogans, some stood on their seats. Police personnel had to be also deployed to restore normalcy after the BJP and AAP councillors confronted each other.

The three mayors — Kamaljeet Sehrawat (SDMC), Preety Agarwal (NDMC) and Neema Bhagat (EDMC) — temporarily left the House, and only later, after some semblance of order was restored, they came back and resumed the proceedings.

The joint House passed two resolutions, one that seeks a temporary relief for traders from sealing by making an appeal in the court and the other that urges the Delhi government to take up the matter of Master Plan 2021 with the Centre.

“The joint House of the three municipal corporations resolves that an appeal be made in the Supreme Court seeking a six-month stay on the sealing drive and a request be made to the apex court to direct the monitoring committee to halt the sealing for six months,” the resolution reads.