CM Arvind Kejriwal urges Centre to halt sealing

NEW DELHI: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday appealed to the Centre to bring an ordinance, if required, to protect properties of traders from getting sealed in the national capital.

The chief minister also offered all cooperation to the Centre to stop sealing drives being carried out by the BJP-led civic bodies since last month.

A group of traders under the umbrella of the Confederation of All India Traders’ on Tuesday participated in a day-long bandh to lodge their protest against the on-going sealing of business establishments.

In a tweet, Mr Kejriwal said that sealing has hit traders very hard and if it is not stopped, a number of people will become jobless. “Economic situation is already grim. Sealing has hit traders very hard. It is our duty to protect them,” the chief minister tweeted.

The Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress have supported the bandh against on-going sealing of business establishments for alleged unauthorised constructions.

“The traders are saying the Centre can bring an ordinance to stop sealing in Delhi. Intentionally delaying the ordinance to collect maximum money using threats of sealing (sic),” AAP chief spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj tweeted.

Meanwhile,  Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari on Tuesday condemned the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal and MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj for trying to mislead the traders by giving through misleading tweets loaded with canards.

 Mr Tiwari has said that it is sad that the CM has re-tweeted MLA Saurabh Bhardwaj’s tweet alleging corruption in the on-going sealing process.

The Delhi BJP chief has challenged the AAP leaders that if they feel that there was corruption in the sealing process, then they should raise the matter, along with proof, before the SC-appointed Monitoring Committee or else desist from misleading people with their vague allegations.

“The on-going sealing drive is being conducted on the direction of the monitoring panel and even the establishments to be sealed is decided by them. Raising allegations of corruption means that the monitoring committee is indulging in corruption,” Mr Tiwari added.

 The Delhi BJP chief alleged  that the sorry situation in which the traders find themselves in today is a result of the delay in notification of commercial roads by the Congress and the AAP.

“The failure of Delhi  government to satisfy the SC and its affidavit seeking two more years for starting regularisation work is the main reason for the Supreme Court assigning the sealing duty on the monitoring committee,” the Delhi BJP chief said.