Sealing at M-G Road, traders go for distress sale

MCD sealing squads today cracked down on commercial properties flouting land use norms in the high-profile Mehrauli-Gurgaon road, where fashion malls MG-1 and MG-2 were demolished in February this year. All the furniture showrooms, factory outlets of various sports and clothing brands on the road were sealed as part of the drive. Seeing the squads approach, shopowners went in for distress sales right outside their establishments. Customers who turned up during the sealing said they managed to get great bargains. "We got two beds and a dressing table at a discount of Rs 3,000,'' said Vishwajeet Thakur, a Gurgaon resident. At an interior accessories showroom, tiles and bathware being sold at a 50 per cent discount and many a policeman was seen buying them. "We haven't looked up another shop. All this material will go waste if not sold now,'' said an employee of Regency Lite and Bath. MCD sources said 261 units were sealed on the stretch between Sultanpur village and Ayanagar. Shops targeted include CRC Furniture, Red Correl, the Nasha pub, a DSIDC shop, an artifacts showroom, a restaurant, and the outlets of Reebok, Adidas, Lacoste and Nike. Two MCD squads, aided by high security, had started sealing together from two end of the road - one from Sultanpur to Gurgaon and the other from Ayanagar to Mehrauli - leaving no opportunity for the shopowners to congregate and protest. But traffic on both lanes was held up for most part of the day. Trucks carrying security personnel and furniture from shops added to the chaos. In a separate sealing drive, the MCD today sealed two properties in Qutub Institutional Area for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).