Gurgaon: The department of town and country planning (DTCP) has sealed more than 15 shops for occupying common areas and warned traders about stricter action if encroachments are not cleared. The drive was carried out on Sunday.
District town planner (enforcement) Amit Madholia said the shopkeepers have encroached on common areas, including corridors, at the market. “They have also made entries by installing steel ladders in front of their shops, creating parking chaos in the market as shoppers struggled to park their vehicles,” he said.
“Moreover, in case of any emergency or fire mishap, there will be no space to carry out evacuation as the encroachments will block movement of fire tenders,” he said.
During the drive, the enforcement team sealed shops on all the floors of the market. Two shops on the ground floor, 11 on the first floor and two on the second floor have been sealed for various violations.
The move came after repeated complaints by shoppers and residents of nearby Sushant Lok-1. Even fire department officials had raised concerns about the safety of shoppers in case of any untoward incident owing to encroachments.
With over 450 shops and offices, Vyapar Kendra is one of the oldest and upscale marketplace in the city. But more than 100 makeshift vends and structures have come up and create hurdles in the movement of shoppers.
Over the past few years, the fire department has repeatedly raised concerns over the evacuation of shoppers in case of a blaze. The officials had flagged several flaws in the designs of shops, saying much of the six-foot corridor for movement of shoppers had been eaten up by encroachers.
Madholia further said the team had pasted a warning notice for shopkeepers, asking them to remove encroachments. But, he said, they did not follow the directions, forcing the department to take tough action. “A team of officials from MCG was also involved in the drive. The team seized the items that were kept in the corridors,” he added.
Anil Madan, a Sushant Lok resident, said the department has finally woken up to the complaints of residents. Despite being such a popular market with high footfall, the authorities have failed to enforce regulations and clear encroachments which are causing huge inconvenience to the shoppers. “There are always massive snarls near the market and shoppers are unable to park their vehicles. The service road, too, is encroached by unauthorised traders and haphazardly parked vehicles,” he said.
District town planner (enforcement) Amit Madholia said the shopkeepers have encroached on common areas, including corridors, at the market. “They have also made entries by installing steel ladders in front of their shops, creating parking chaos in the market as shoppers struggled to park their vehicles,” he said.
“Moreover, in case of any emergency or fire mishap, there will be no space to carry out evacuation as the encroachments will block movement of fire tenders,” he said.
During the drive, the enforcement team sealed shops on all the floors of the market. Two shops on the ground floor, 11 on the first floor and two on the second floor have been sealed for various violations.
The move came after repeated complaints by shoppers and residents of nearby Sushant Lok-1. Even fire department officials had raised concerns about the safety of shoppers in case of any untoward incident owing to encroachments.
With over 450 shops and offices, Vyapar Kendra is one of the oldest and upscale marketplace in the city. But more than 100 makeshift vends and structures have come up and create hurdles in the movement of shoppers.
Over the past few years, the fire department has repeatedly raised concerns over the evacuation of shoppers in case of a blaze. The officials had flagged several flaws in the designs of shops, saying much of the six-foot corridor for movement of shoppers had been eaten up by encroachers.
Madholia further said the team had pasted a warning notice for shopkeepers, asking them to remove encroachments. But, he said, they did not follow the directions, forcing the department to take tough action. “A team of officials from MCG was also involved in the drive. The team seized the items that were kept in the corridors,” he added.
Anil Madan, a Sushant Lok resident, said the department has finally woken up to the complaints of residents. Despite being such a popular market with high footfall, the authorities have failed to enforce regulations and clear encroachments which are causing huge inconvenience to the shoppers. “There are always massive snarls near the market and shoppers are unable to park their vehicles. The service road, too, is encroached by unauthorised traders and haphazardly parked vehicles,” he said.