NDMC Halts Signage Removal Drive at Khan Market Following Trader Protests
The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) launched an enforcement drive in Khan Market on Monday, removing signages, claddings, and water motors from several shops and restaurants before halting the action after protests from local traders. The civic body targeted signages that were oversized and non-compliant with the Outdoor Advertisement Policy (OAP), 2017. Additionally, municipal teams removed claddings and water motors installed near building boundaries, describing those installations as encroachments on public land.
According to an official from the NDMC, the crackdown was executed as a joint effort involving several departments within the civic body, including the enforcement department, estate department, architect department, and EBR department. The official stated that the exercise was carried out in accordance with a decision that had been taken during a prior meeting conducted with market stakeholders. The civic body maintained that official notices regarding the non-compliant signages had been issued to shop owners in advance of the drive.
However, business owners in Khan Market strongly disputed the civic body's assertion, stating that the drive was initiated without any warning and that no prior notices were served to the affected establishments. Traders voiced their opposition as staff and machinery arrived across the market, leading them to contact local elected representatives and senior NDMC officials to intervene. Following these interventions, the municipal council called off the enforcement drive later in the same day.
A local trader remarked that the market association had previously extended its full support for enforcing the Outdoor Advertisement Policy. However, the trader described the sudden arrival of municipal staff and equipment from multiple civic departments as unwarranted. The trader further suggested that instead of taking unilateral action, the NDMC should have consulted shopkeepers beforehand to work on standardising signage sizes across the commercial area.
