NEW DELHI, 8 November 2006 — Violence and vandalism pockmarked the streets of the Indian capital yesterday as thousands of angry traders protesting against the sealing of their illegal commercial establishments in residential areas smashed vehicles, blocked roads and clashed with police personnel.

Police used tear gas and water cannons in several places to beat back agitators who damaged several private and state-owned commuter buses by stoning them.

The sealing drive is scheduled to resume from today.

The strong trader lobby — backed by influential politicians from the major parties — insists it would not obey the apex court’s directions and instead wants the government to announce a new land use pattern giving legitimacy to their establishments which came up in gross violation of the 2001 Delhi Master Plan.

The worst affected areas in Delhi were thickly populated residential areas like Karol Bagh, Green Park, Vikas Marg, Rohini, Shahadra, Malviya Nagar, Mayur Vihar and Paharganj. Policemen and traders clashed in areas like Mandawali, Green Park, Rohini, Karol Bagh and Paharganj.

“We had to use some force to disperse the protesters causing inconvenience to public in general. Around 1,500 traders from various parts of the capital were detained as well,” said a top police official.

The usually bustling markets in Delhi wore a deserted look as over 500 traders’ association, representing nearly 300 markets and about 40,000 businessmen, across the national capital joined the 24-hour strike.

Doctors operating clinics in residential areas also lent their support to the traders, even though they and some other categories of professionals were exempt from the sealing operation.

“We are giving support to the traders and over 20,000 doctors of nearly 2,600 health clinics in Delhi worked wearing black badges. We are opposing any sealing drive and urge the government to bring in a law for the betterment of lakhs of people,” said K.K. Kapoor, president of Delhi Medical Association.

In its order Monday, the apex court did not specify when the shops would be sealed in the designated areas leaving it to the Delhi civic authorities and the monitoring committee appointed by it to work out the modalities.

The group met yesterday and decided to start sealing drive from today.

Schools across the national capital remained closed as a precautionary measure. The usual traffic snarls, the bane of Delhi roads, were missing with many vehicle owners preferring to use other modes of transport to reach offices.

Several opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, including former central minister Vijay Goel, were detained for blocking traffic.

In the Delhi Assembly, BJP legislators, for whom the traders are a major support base, were suspended for a day when they staged a noisy protest in the debating chamber insisting on a debate on the traders’ strike.

Traders said that their fight against “injustice” would continue till the government brings in an ordinance and implements a revised Delhi Master Plan 2021 to bail them out of the situation.

“Our fight will continue till a final decision in our favor is delivered. The protest will continue,” said Praveen Khandelwal, secretary general of the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).

“Today’s protest has affected trade worth Rs. 5 billion in the city and if the situation continues like this then the state government is going to lose a lot of revenue,” Khandelwal added.

Police 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,” said a senior official.

A Supreme Court bench consisting of Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal and Justice C.K. Thakker declined on Monday to grant any relief to those traders who had given an undertaking that they would stop their commercial activities in residential premises. The court came down heavily on the central government, Delhi government and the MCD for seeking modification of its earlier orders on grounds of law and order problems and the inability of the police to handle the situation.