Commercial establishments operating illegally in farm houses and other places in nearly 400 rural areas and urbanised villages of Delhi are expected to get a reprieve soon as the government is planning to bring an ordinance to freeze sealing and demolition for a year.

Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) had restarted the sealing and demolition drive in the capital after the earlier ordinance expired on December 31 last year.

“A cabinet note proposing the ordinance to extend the Delhi laws (special provisions) act, 2009 has been sent to ministries concerned seeking their comments on the issue. After receipt of their inputs, the note will be sent to the cabinet for its approval,” a senior urban development ministry official told PTI.

The applicability of the act was only till December 31, 2010.

The ordinance aims at providing protection to various categories of unauthorised constructions for which no policy decision has been taken, the official said.

The ordinance will be converted into an act after its introduction and passage in the budget session of Parliament.

The 2009 act provided immunity from sealing and demolition to high-end showrooms in villages, farm houses and affluent colonies across the capital.

This includes shops located on Kalka Dass Marg in Mehrauli, high-end designer furniture showrooms on Mehrauli- Gurgaon Road, Shah Pur Jat, Hauz Khas Village and other rural and urbanised villages.

The urban development ministry failed to bring in a bill in the Winter session of Parliament to extend the moratorium because of pandemonium over 2G spectrum scam.

There are around 200 rural villages and 180-odd urbanised villages, where commercial activities are being carried out. Designer hubs and boutiques in areas such as Shahpur Jat, Mehrauli, Munirka Gaon, Hauz Khas, Katwaria Sarai, Yusuf Sarai among others are facing sealings due to the expiry of the Act.