



Jaipur: The vigilance team of Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) on Wednesday sealed eight shops for seven days in Johari Bazaar and Tripolia Bazaar after the shopkeepers were found encroaching the corridors with merchandise. The shopkeepers staged a protest against the JMC action and threatened to close the markets; however, senior police and JMC officers placated them and asked them not to encroach the corridors.

The shops were sealed under sections 245 and 194 of the Rajasthan Municipality Act. A notice was posted on the shops. The action followed the urban development minister Shanti Dhariwal’s visit to the Walled City markets recently. The encroachments were removed before the visit to give the minister an impression that the Walled City corridors were encroachment-free, but the shopkeepers started to put merchandise on display in the corridors again.

When the reports of encroachment appeared in the media reports, a JMC vigilance team inspected the Walled City markets on Wednesday and sealed eight shops for seven days.

The Rajasthan government is trying to get the Walled City recognized as a world heritage site by the UNESCO.

The government had recently proposed to declare the Walled City – known as Parkota – as a no-construction zone.

Once the Walled City becomes a no-construction zone, a complete ban on any construction or renovation by families living there will be imposed. The JMC will soon issue a notification in this regard, acting on the directions from the chief secretary DB Gupta.