30 shops sealed in Ggn’s Sadar Bazaar

GURUGRAM: After issuing several warnings, the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) on Friday took firm action against the rising encroachments in Old Gurrugram area by sealing 30 shops in Sadar Bazaar, Gurugram’s oldest market.

This is the second time this year when the agency has taken against errant shopkeepers. In June, MCG had sealed 80 shops.

Additionally, the Corporation has warned that more shops will be sealed in other parts of the city if shop owners do not fall in line and clear roads of encroachments.

Besides Sadar Bazaar, the anti-encroachment drives are also taking place on a large scale in areas like Ghasola, Fazlipur and Vatika Chowk.

Illegal occupation of roads and footpaths has led to not just parking woes but also difficulty for various pedestrians to walk in the crowded market.

The dangers came to the fore after a massive fire broke out in Sadar Bazaar two years ago, and it took a long time for fire tenders to navigate the streets of the crowded market.

For long, there have been complaints of how public places and footpaths are being encroached upon in the city. The problem has led to confrontation among religious communities.

The most prominent issue, however, can be seen at around the Air Force ammunition depot. After a stern order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the district administration razed out structures built within a range of 300 meters of the defence establishment.

While MCG claims that its officials are working towards providing better walking spaces for citizens, most of the residents do not seem to be impressed by the claims.

Complaints of encroachments in the city continue to come in large numbers at the MCG office.

In spite of a large-scale campaign by the Corporation to remove encroachments on the city’s pavements, residents have often highlighted that encroachments on pavement is a regular sight in various parts of Gurugram.