SC orders closure of shops in residential areas

    New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the closure of all commercial establishments operating in the residential areas in Capital New Delhi. A three-judge bench directed the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) to give a month's notice to shops and establishments in residential areas to close down their operations.

     "The court has said that MCD will give a notice for 10 days to the people using their residential areas for commercial use. Then they would be given a 30-day period to stop the commercial activities in the residential areas. Failing to do so, the places would be sealed and power and electricity would be cut off," said Ranjit Kumar, the Centre's lawyer to reporters after the ruling. "If anybody tries to tamper with the seal and still use the property in some other way, then the court would take strong action against them," he said. The apex court also asked authorities to disconnect power and water supply to such premises if they failed to comply with the orders.

     However, small shops have been spared for the time being. Residents of the city have welcomed the apex court's decision saying it would solve a lot of problems, like parking. "I think that is perfectly correct. There are actually a lot of commercial shops in residential areas that are causing problems for the people in those areas. There is a lack of parking space," said Ashish, a local. The MCD has been pulled up by the court, which has taken a serious notice of deliberate inaction against the rich and famous who rent out their residences for commercial places. The MCD has in the last one month, taken action against many illegal properties following a direction of the High Court. On Tuesday the Centre had announced setting up of a high-powered committee to look into illegal structures in the national capital. According to the MCD, there are about 3.2 million illegal constructions in New Delhi.

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