Amid huge uproar, MCD resolves to seek 6-month stay on sealing

The three BJP-ruled municipal corporations in Delhi today 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 a 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.

It said that the services of the Additional Solicitor General of India (ASG) be sought to put forth the side of the corporations before the court.
Civic bodies in north, south and central Delhi have been carrying out sealing drives, which started late last month with action against over 50 shops in Defence Colony Market, at the instance of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee.
Action is being taken against properties for non-payment of conversion charges, or for alleged violation of civic norms such as encroachments or illegal constructions.
The other resolution also seeks notification of 351 roads in various parts of Delhi as of commercial or mixed-land use, by the city government.

The joint session was called to work out a plan together, leaving aside party affiliations, but it instead became a political wrestling ground, as AAP members traded barbs with their BJP counterparts, while Congress leaders attacked both the parties.
Ahead of the House, several AAP councillors and supporters took out a protest march from the party headquarters on Rouse Avenue to the Civic Centre, the headquarters of the NDMC and the SDMC.
The three corporations were created in 2012 after the trifurcation of the then unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). BJP has been been ruling the corporation since 2007.

There are a total of 272 councillors in Delhi with NDMC and SDMC accounting for 104 each while EDMC has 64 members.