New Delhi: The National Capital remained on the edge on Tuesday as the anguished trader lobby laid siege on the city, venting their anger against the sealing order on city buses, gheraoing an MCD office and clashing with the police.
Police detained over 1,500 traders from various parts of the city amid reports of stone pelting, road blockades and public transport being vandalised.
Besides damaging over half-a-dozen city buses, angry crowds on the rampage attacked and damaged a police vehicle that was ferrying some protestors detained from Mayur Vihar in East Delhi.
The other areas that witnessed violence included Rohini in West Delhi, Paharganj in Old Delhi and Green Park in South Delhi.
Some of the worst affected areas were Karol Bagh, Green Park, Vikas Marg, Rohini, Shahadra, Malviya Nagar and Paharganj.
Officials said they had also stopped trucks carrying traders and their supporters to avoid people from gathering at one place. "These are precautionary measures so that traders do not resort to violence," says a senior official.
Paramilitary forces like the Indo-Tibetian Border Police (ITBP) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at Vikas Marg, which is a major road connecting trans-Yamuna areas with Central Delhi.
Angry traders said the city had come to a standstill because the government had failed to protect the interests of the people.
Debate: Is Delhi being held to ransom?
PAGE_BREAK
"It is a complete breakdown of the government and the administration. The traders have no option but to take extreme steps," says secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), Praveen Khandelwal.
Traders from South Delhi markets were led by prominent political leaders - including Jitender Kochar of Congress, BJP's Vijay Goel and former Chief Minister Madanlal Khurana.
The protestors, including the politicos, were later detained by police.
No sealing today?
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has indicated that there might be no sealing on Tuesday.
"We have not received any direction from the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee on sealing so far. Most probably there will be no sealing today," says a top MCD official.
"The monitoring committee will meet later in the day and a decision will be taken thereafter," says the official.
There had been no communication between the MCD and the committee as K J Rao, head of the court-appointed panel, was out of town Monday.
The Supreme Court had on Monday directed the government to immediately resume sealing operations.
5.4 lakh shops across Delhi face closure 27 lakh traders have their livelihoods at risk
Schools shut Bandh by traders. No sealings GoM to meet monitoring committee to work out sealing schedule.
North Delhi: Kamla Nagar. East Delhi: Mayur Vihar, Vikas Marg and Seelampur. South Delhi: Green Park, South Extension, Lajpat Nagar and GK. West Delhi: Rajouri Garden and Rohini Central Delhi: Karol Bagh.
Comments
0 comment