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A month on, spectre of pink slip at Defence Colony

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NEW DELHI: A month after a team of municipal officials descended on Defence Colony in south Delhi and sealed 51 commercial units for alleged violation of norms, the market wears a desolate look and workers employed at these establishments face an uncertain future.
Kishan Singh, a waiter, is worried because he doesn’t know when the restaurant where he works will reopen. “The owner gave us last month’s salary, but what happens in February? How will I pay my rent and other bills?” Singh said, as he waved a black flag in protest.
Nearly 80% of the 2,000 people employed in this area were facing the axe, the traders’ body said. Rajinder Malik, president of Defence Colony Market Association, told TOI: “We employ around 2,000 people directly. Apart from them, many more are connected indirectly through the supply chain.”

Sandeep Bindra, owner of Moets, said his restaurant employed over 120 waiters, cooks and support staff members. Also, it has 40 suppliers. “Now, except the ground floor, all other portions have been sealed. For how long will we be able to keep them on rolls. We are thinking about a no-pay-no-work policy.”

Similarly, Swagat, a restaurant that earlier had a seating capacity of 180, can now accommodate 22. Jagannath, its manager, said the eatery employed 140 people. “How do I justify 140 employees for 22 seats? The management has not yet taken any decision, but customers, too, are suffering because of longer wait and cramped space,” he said.

The market houses several other restaurants — Social, 4S and Akasaka, among them. The future, they said, appeared bleak. The traders, as a part of their campaign against the sealing drive, have pasted posters showing the “proof” of their commercial status all over the marketplace. “We are not running illegal establishments. Stand with your market, Defence Colony,” they read.

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