Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Protests against the Bhopal Municipal Corporation's (BMC) sealing drive intensified on Wednesday, with traders in Kolar shutting their establishments and taking out a symbolic funeral procession of their businesses and 25 establishments shutting voluntarily on the corporation's panchnama.
The protest, described by traders as one of the largest shutdowns in Kolar, saw nearly 700-800 traders take to the streets across a 10-km stretch.
Shops, major showrooms and liquor outlets remained closed from Kolar Tiraha to Gol Jod, while emergency services such as medical facilities and petrol pumps were exempted.
Traders carried a bier symbolising the "death" of their businesses, tonsured their heads and performed a symbolic cremation at the D-Mart intersection.
The BMC has not issued any fresh 24-hour notices or carried out any new sealing action in the past 48 hours.
So far, 8,264 notices have been issued against commercial activities operating from residential properties, while enforcement action has resulted in 170 properties being sealed.
Around 2,000 property owners have submitted documents to the civic body, but officials said many of the documents have not been found satisfactory.
Traders hope for relief through new Master Plan
Trader associations have demanded an immediate halt to the sealing drive and implementation of the proposed amendment to the Land Development Act, citing the June 29, 2026 order.
Traders are also pinning their hopes on the new Master Plan, which they believe could provide a long-term solution to the dispute over commercial activities in residential areas.
They have warned that protests will intensify if their demands are not addressed.
Stone-pelting incident, one detained
Tension briefly escalated during the protest when some protesters allegedly pelted stones at a liquor shop and later a petrol pump after the establishments were accused of not supporting the shutdown.
Police intervened and detained one protester allegedly involved in the stone pelting. Kolar police station in-charge Sanjay Soni confirmed the incident and said further investigation was underway.
Sealed OYO hotel re-opens in Gautam Nagar
An OYO hotel in Gautam Nagar, sealed by the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) on August 27 during its drive against commercial activities in residential areas, was found operational again on Wednesday.
The operator claimed that he resides on the building s lower floor, while the upper floor was used for hotel activities. The circumstances under which the sealed premises were reopened remain unclear.
Quote
Sealing actions are being continued even after the traders protested, but now forceful shutdown actions are being slowed so that any major panic situations across the city can get averted.
-Bhuvan Gupta,
deputy commissioner BMC
