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The Delhi government will approach Supreme Court over the recent sealing of shops in the Chandni Chowk area, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday after chairing a meeting with Chandni Chowk MP Praveen Khandelwal and a delegation of traders. The statement came two days after the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) sealed eight shops in the Katra Neel area following the Supreme Court’s direction to authorities to stop the “commercial use of residential properties”. The order was based on a petition filed by a local resident who alleged that the “misuse of residential buildings for business was creating congestion and safety issues”. Ms. Gupta noted that the area has been designated for commercial and mixed use since the master plan of Delhi (MPD) was prepared in 1962. According to the plan, mixed-use areas allow both commercial and residential development. Terming the sealing of shops “unjustifiable”, she said, as per the MPD 2021, most of the lanes in the area are for commercial or mixed-use purposes. “Chandni Chowk is a completely commercial area. Due to the actions of one individual [the petitioner], this unfortunate situation of sealing has arisen,” Mr. Khandelwal said. Planning records show that Gali Ghanteshwar was declared a “street shopping lane” in MPD 2021, while the entire Katra Neel stretch was designated as commercial, previously marked as mixed-use under the 2001 plan.
