Traders in the city staged a protest against the sealing drive under the banner of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) at Parliament Street on Thursday.
In a statement, the CAIT called upon the government to take immediate steps to restrict the sealing drive which it said had devastated trade in the city and threatened the livelihood of lakhs of people.
The sealing drive started in December 2017 when the Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee started shutting down properties in the city that had violated land-use policies.
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The traders’ body demanded that the government introduce a Bill in the current session of Parliament or introduce an ordinance which would set a cut of date for properties that were being sealed along with a provision to bring about immediate desealing of shops.
The traders’ body also demanded that the committee be disbanded “in the wake of its dictatorial and undemocratic attitude”.
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At the protest, traders raised slogans against the monitoring committee and burnt effigies to mark their dissent. CAIT general secretary Khandelwal said that while encroachment on government land should be removed, the traders have no objection but shops conducting business since decades should not be sealed. He added that markets that were being shifted must be provided with adequate infrastructure at the place of shifting.