A special session of the municipal House on Saturday witnessed protests by Bharatiya Janata Party councillors over issues related to the sealing of shops, resulting in chaos.
The session was convened to address concerns about de-sealing properties under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and witnessed opposition members engaging in sloganeering and protests, reportedly.
Raja Iqbal Singh, Leader of the Opposition in the House, along with several other BJP councillors, brandished placards and raised slogans against the AAP and the civic body led by the ruling party. The disruption escalated as many councillors marched to the Well of the House during the protest.
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The BJP members alleged that while the MCD had called the session to discuss the de-sealing issue, the civic body sealed three shops in Amar Colony, South Delhi, on Friday.
A senior civic official told PTI that the de-sealing matter to be discussed concerned the decision made by a court-appointed committee to de-seal the first and second floors of shops in local shopping complexes.
The sealing of the three shops on Friday, the official explained, was due to a lack of a license, emphasizing that the two issues should not be conflated. The special session, which commenced in the afternoon, faced disruptions as BJP members protested.
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Mayor Shelly Oberoi adjourned the House, and although the session resumed later, BJP councillors continued their protest, leading to another adjournment.
The session, lasting less than an hour, witnessed a brief resumption after the disruptions. BJP's Iqbal Singh later addressed the media on the issue at the Civic Centre.
Earlier in the week, Delhi Mayor Oberoi had announced that a court-appointed panel had decided to de-seal the first and second floors of shops in local shopping complexes.
Sealing had initially commenced in such complexes in the Defence Colony area in 2017-18 on the directives of the monitoring committee for alleged violations of building bye-laws, Mayor Oberoi had informed reporters. Subsequently, a judicial committee was established by the Supreme Court to examine the legal aspects of the matter.
Mayor Oberoi had stated that it has been determined to de-seal the shops in these complexes.
