NDMC CRACKDOWN ON 16 KHAN MARKET OUTLETS

Civic Body Partially Seals Eateries, Shops; Drive Over For Now

New Delhi: The sealing drive at Khan Market continued on Tuesday with an inspection team of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) taking action against 16 more commercial establishments. On Monday, NDMC partially sealed eight establishments.

Following the directives of amonitoring committee appointed by the Supreme Court, the drive was launched against shops and restaurants located on the first floor or above. According to NDMC officials, the establishments partially sealed on Tuesday included lounges and restaurants such as Chatter House, Civil House, Mamagoto, The Blue Door Cafe, Parallel Craft Kitchen, La Bodega and The Beer Cafe; high-end designer shops such as Anita Dongre and Raghavendra Rathore; and retail shops Fabindia and Sham Di Hatti.

After the sealing action, Civil House, a popular restaurant, had shut for the day. “We have been directed to remove some sections by NDMC officials. The shed for the water filter will be removed. We have closed down for the day due to hygiene issues,” said an employee on the condition of anonymity. La Bodega has been directed to remove metal beams while portions of other establishments were sealed for misuse of terrace area.

Officials carried out doorto-door inspection to check violations for illegal use of space and unauthorised construction. The drive, which started at 10.30am, concluded around 6.30pm. Officials said that until further orders, there won’t be any more sealing drive at Khan Market.

“As per the norms, no commercial activity is allowed on terrace and following the committee’s order, we have taken action against all those violating the norms openly,” said a senior NDMC official.

As people stayed away from the usually busy market, many traders complained about losses. Many also shut the shop early fearing action.

However, Anshu Tandon, president of restaurants’ association of Khan Market, said, “We have no complaint against NDMC for Tuesday’s drive. On Monday, many establishments were sealed wrongly. If any owner is using a space that is not permitted by law, it will be sealed. But the confusion is still there as the order of the monitoring committee and that of NDMC are contradictory.” A delegation of restaurant owners met officials from the Union urban development ministry on Tuesday, added Tandon.

Sanjiv Mehra, president of Khan Market traders’ association, said, “We tried to meet the NDMC chairman as well but he was not available. We will approach him again.”

(TOI)