Rows of freshly painted brick facades and plywood-covered shopfronts have replaced the bustling shops in east Delhi’s New Ashok Nagar market in anticipation of a sealing drive. However, with neither bulldozers nor civic officials in sight on Tuesday, when the drive was scheduled, and the area MLA promising a legal challenge to the drive, traders are breathing a sigh of relief, even as there is no official word from the authorities. It was around four days ago, shop owners say, that they learnt of a joint sealing drive by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) against commercial establishments operating in residential areas.

As per officials, the DDA had written to Deputy Commissioner of Police (East) Rajeev Kumar on May 6 seeking assistance for a sealing drive near the New Ashok Nagar metro station. The letter stated that the MCD would carry out the exercise on May 12 against the properties identified by the DDA.

Out of sight

The stretch opposite East End Apartments and along the road leading to the metro station is usually packed with shoppers and vehicles. However, most shops in the area have disappeared behind temporary structures erected over the past two nights. Except for an ATM and a retail outlet, nearly every storefront facing the road had been covered up to blend into the residential buildings. Area MLA Sanjeev Kumar Singh (BJP), who was present at the site on Tuesday, has promised traders that he will pursue the issue legally. “We’ll go to court seeking commercial status for the area on shop owners’ behalf,” he said.

2007 drive

News of the sealing drive revived memories of a similar exercise conducted in 2007, say shop owners. Hirendra Kumar, 55, who runs a paan shop and lives with his family at the same rented property, said, “Last time, officials came suddenly when all shops were open and took action. This time, we heard about it through word of mouth nearly a week in advance and shut our shops ourselves.”

“The entire stretch has businesses operating across multiple floors. By now, it should have been declared a mixed-use or commercial area,” he said, adding, “At this age, how can I start a new work?”

He added that traders were willing to pay any conversion or regularisation charges if needed. “We just want an end to this constant fear,” he said. His own shopfront was covered in blue-painted plywood. “Everyone did whatever they could to save their shops,” he said.

‘Ready to pay’

Aman Srivastav, a builder, said traders had approached local representatives seeking intervention a day before the proposed drive. “We accept that commercial establishments are operating in a residential area, but there should be some solution other than sealing,” he said. “We already pay house tax and commercial electricity bills. If there are additional charges for conversion, we are ready to pay.”

He said over 400 establishments are located on the stretch. A representation submitted by traders to the DDA and East Delhi MP Harsh Malhotra of the BJP stated that mapping for denotification and change of land use had already been completed and the formal process is under way.

Shaista Siddiqui, who rented a basement office for her event management company a year ago, said she had shifted from Laxmi Nagar believing this stretch was commercial. “Our previous office was also in a residential property for five years. We moved here thinking this was a commercial area, but this too has residential status,” she said. Like several others, her office frontage was hidden behind a temporary black structure. A ground-floor row that reportedly housed three shops now resembled a plain pink wall, with paint still drying.