New Delhi: Over a dozen illegal commercial properties in south Delhi, including a well known sweets and snacks outlet, were sealed on Thursday as the ongoing drive against such shops in residential areas continued without much resistance from the ousted owners.
The schools in the Capital, which had been closed for two days fearing violence during the sealing operations, reopened on Thursday.
The Delhi government's education department said schools reopened as no violence was reported on Wednesday, when the civic authorities swung into action in south Delhi.
Meanwhile, 19 Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators were detained while protesting against the sealing operations.
"The BJP MLAs, led by Jagdish Mukhi, were marching from Delhi Assembly towards the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) to protest against the sealing drive. They were detained near Ajmeri Gate," said Ajay Chowdhury, deputy commissioner of police (central).
Over 55 Congress councillors have already given in their resignations to Jitendra Kochar, leader of Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) legislative wing, in protest against the sealing.
"We have 108 members and all have decided to resign. So far, I have received over 55 resignation letters, and rest are awaited today," Kochar told IANS.
He said all councillors would meet in a couple of days to decide their future course of action. "If the court is going to do everything, then there is no value of elected representatives like us. We will meet in a couple of days to discuss our future course," Kochar added.
The MCD personnel, with hundreds of security men standing by, continued the sealing operations for the second successive day.
The sealing started off in the Moolchand area of south Delhi with popular snacks and sweets showroom Haldiram getting the hatchet.
The squad then moved towards Central Market, an extremely popular and crowded shopping area in Lajpat Nagar, and sealed a number of showrooms and shops operating illegally out of houses.
On Thursday, the sealing squad hardly faced any resistance from the traders. However, the crowds of curious onlookers around the shops led to a traffic snarl between Moolchand and South Extension for almost an hour.
Ashram, Defence Colony, South Extension and Greater Kailash-II - all upmarket locales in south Delhi where numerous illegal showrooms have mushroomed - are some other areas that are likely to be targeted Thursday.
"Like yesterday, the drive will continue in the south and central zones today. By starting from these two upmarket zones, we want to convey the message that all are equal in the eyes of the law. There is no question of not targeting the big fish," said a top Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) official.
Scores of commercial establishments, including the main office of the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), a nodal body that regulates the Indian telecom sector, had been sealed during the drive on Wednesday.
MCD squads sealed showrooms, general stores and guesthouses in several upscale residential colonies like Ashram, Safdarjung Enclave, Africa Avenue, Srinivaspuri and Maharani Bagh. A total of 171 commercial establishments were sealed in the south and central zones.
On Monday, the Supreme Court had dismissed a bunch of petitions filed by the MCD and the central government and directed that the sealing operation be resumed immediately.
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