Mayor Oberoi announces desealing of shops across local shopping complexes

Mayor Shelly Oberoi announced on Wednesday that the Judicial Committee of Supreme Court has permitted shops to be de-sealed

across major markets of Delhi after 6 years.

The decision will be implemented in local shopping complexes of Defence Colony, Rajendra Nagar, New Rajendra Nagar, GK N Block Market, Green Park, Hauz Khas, and South X-1 Market.

The shops, spanning across the first and second floors of the complexes, had been sealed by the Monitoring Committee in 2017-2018 due to the alleged violation of building by-laws. Consequently, the Supreme Court had constituted a Judicial Committee in 2022 to investigate the entire situation.

The members of the Judicial Committee are retired Justices Pradeep Nandrajog and G S Sistani.

“A proper process will be completed for de-sealing. The revised Floor Area Ratio (FAR) will be checked, based on which the shops will be de-sealed. Traders will have to apply to the concerned department for the process and if additional FAR charges are incurred, they will have to pay the same. Shops which have commercial activities going on in their basements will also have to pay

additional FAR, while the basements being used as storage or warehouses do not,” explained the Mayor.

The Leader of Opposition in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), Raja Iqbal Singh also expressed his gratitude over the decision. Additionally, he appealed to refrain from imposing any additional FAR charges on the shopkeepers, and only recover the original amount.

“The recovery of the original amount should be on a semi-annual basis over three years,” said Singh, while proposing, “The seals on the establishments of the traders should be removed first, and then the fees should be collected to ensure they face no difficulties in their livelihoods.”