New Delhi, April 3: Five Congress MPs today issued a joint statement demanding an ordinance to put a six-month brake on the sealing of commercial properties in Delhi’s residential areas.

In the statement, Kapil Sibal, Krishna Tirath, Sajjan Kumar, Jagdish Tytler and Sandeep Dikshit also sought the notification of the capital’s Master Plan, 2011, which allows commercial activities in residential areas, and the preparation of a strategic plan for each zone, keeping in mind the needs of individual communities.

“It is our firm belief that either an ordinance or a law should be introduced in Parliament forthwith to stop the sealing and demolition of various premises for a period of six months,” Sibal said.

The MP from Chandni Chowk added that he had earlier raised the matter with Union urban development minister S. Jaipal Reddy and had also sought an appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

The MPs, however, did not meet the Prime Minister today.

The statement pointed out that the PIL, which triggered the drive, had only the Municipal Corporation of Delhi as respondent, without any representation from lakhs of affected citizens. This was not the right way to address grievances, it said.

The Supreme Court, on whose directive the sealing drive had begun, today gave a brief breather to those at the receiving end of the MCD lash. It extended the deadline for filing of affidavits by shop-owners to April 7.

If they file affidavits promising to shift from residential areas by April 7, their properties would not be sealed, the apex court ruled. If they have already been sealed, they would be unlocked after affidavits are submitted.

However, the Supreme Court made it clear that the sealing drive has to continue.

Soon after the order, the corporation whip got cracking in Karol Bagh, Patel Nagar and other places in the capital.

The apex court order is meant to ensure that the chaos accompanying the MCD drive is contained. Last week, the Rapid Action Force had to be deployed to deal with agitated shop-owners.