3 hrs ago
MCD Seals 54 Chandni Chowk Jewellery Shops Over Basements
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi closed 54 jewellery shops in Chandni Chowk.
The shops were operating in areas that officials said were basements.
MCD said this use was not allowed under Delhi’s building rules.
Officials said the action followed an earlier notice, hearings and an unpaid penalty.
Shopkeepers said they were not warned before officials arrived.
Some traders said their shops were actually on the ground floor, not in basements.
Their jewellery, documents and customer orders were left locked inside.
The traders have asked officials to let them briefly enter and collect their belongings.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi sealed 54 jewellery shops in basements across four buildings in Kucha Mahajani, Chandni Chowk.
MCD said the shops violated the Master Plan of Delhi 2021, building bye-laws and mandatory statutory clearances.
The sealing orders followed a 2019 show-cause notice, hearings in 2025 and an unpaid penalty linked to conversion charges.
Traders said officials arrived without prior notice, leaving gold, silver jewellery, documents and customer orders inside the sealed shops.
Some shopkeepers disputed the classification of their premises as basements and asked authorities to temporarily open the shops to retrieve inventory.
- Who
- The Municipal Corporation of Delhi sealed the shops; affected jewellery traders and the All India Bullion and Jewellers Traders Association raised objections.
- What
- MCD sealed 54 jewellery shops for allegedly conducting unauthorised commercial activity in basements.
- Where
- Across four buildings in the Kucha Mahajani area of Chandni Chowk, Delhi.
- When
- The sealing took place on Thursday; MCD’s statement identifies the action date as 10 September 2026. A sealing order had been issued on 17 February of that year.
- Why
- MCD said the shops violated permitted land use, building bye-laws and mandatory Fire Department and other statutory clearances.
MCD and Monitoring Committee
Affected Traders
Whether the shops violated building rules
MCD and Monitoring Committee
MCD said commercial activity was being conducted in basements in violation of the Master Plan of Delhi 2021, the Unified Building Bye-Laws and required statutory clearances.
Affected Traders
Some traders said their premises were on the ground floor or only about three feet below the road, and that official registrations and utility records described them as ground-floor shops.
Whether traders received adequate warning
MCD and Monitoring Committee
MCD said the action followed a 2019 show-cause notice, opportunities for personal hearings in 2025, an unpaid penalty and a sealing order issued on 17 February.
Affected Traders
Shopkeepers said officials arrived without prior notice and questioned why they were not informed during the six months after the sealing order was issued.
Access to goods inside the shops
MCD and Monitoring Committee
MCD carried out the sealing under the stated supervision of the Supreme Court Monitoring Committee; the article does not report an MCD response on immediate access to inventory.
Affected Traders
Traders said gold, silver jewellery, documents, passwords and customer orders remained inside and requested temporary access to collect them.
Key facts
- Shops sealed
- 54 jewellery shops
- Location
- Kucha Mahajani, Chandni Chowk, Delhi
- Legal basis
- Sections 345-A and 347 of the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act, 1957
- Earlier notice
- A show-cause notice was issued on 19 November 2019
- Penalty
- Traders were directed to pay 12 times the annual conversion charges
- MCD’s stated rules
- Unified Building Bye-Laws for Delhi 2016 and Master Plan of Delhi 2021
- Traders’ request
- Temporary reopening to retrieve jewellery, documents and other inventory
Quotes
Municipal Corporation of Delhi
The municipal authority that conducted the sealing operation
“We submitted a plea in 2019 stating that we are not operating the shop from the basement. We were only 3 feet down, which does not constitute as a basement. However, as sewer lines were laid twice and a road was constructed, the base of our shops were pushed further down….”
indianexpress.com
“We have spoken to the ward councillor, MP, and MLA. We had also reached out to the Chief Minister’s office. But none of them could help, because this drive is being conducted under the direct supervision of the Supreme Court’s Monitoring Committee.”
indianexpress.com
Sources
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