‘Yes, my shop is totally unauthorised. Aap batao Dilli mein authorised kya hai?’

That should be of some comfort to the BJP’s three- time Delhi MLA Jai Bhagwan Aggarwal.

Like Sharma, Aggarwal has also ganged up with several of his colleagues to oppose the demolition. And like Sharma, he has a personal interest. His shop, too, has thrown the rules out of the window.

Investigation by The Sunday Express shows that Aggarwal’s Jai Electronics, at A-17 Saraswati Vihar on Outer Ring Road—which falls in his Badli constituency—flouts land-use norms and several Municipal Corporation of Delhi building bylaws.

The three-storey structure has a sparkling new electronics showroom—selling consumer electronics items, including TVs, microwaves and home theatre systems—housed in the basement and the ground floor. As per rules, a commercial establishment cannot run from this building—also the basement being used for commercial use is a blatant violation.

Most of the other shops here have either been sealed by the MCD or have been closed voluntarily after the demolition drive began. But Jai Electronics is still open.

Not surprisingly, Aggarwal, when asked to explain, doesn’t even put up a defence. In fact, he goes on the offensive: “Yes, it is completely unauthorised. But the whole of Delhi is unauthorised. Will you pull everything down?’’

The MCD may not need to pull the whole of Delhi down but Deputy Commissioner (Rohini Zone) P R Meena, the top MCD official under whom Aggarwal’s shop falls, assures that action will be taken against Aggarwal’s shop. Start counting the reasons:

• Violation 1: Deputy Commissioner Meena says this area is purely residential and no commercial activity is allowed. Means, the shop has no business to be here.

Ask the staff, they couldn’t care less: “This shop is not going to close down. Do not worry madam, we will be open in the evening as well so you can make your purchases,” said a salesperson today.

• Violation 2: No commercial activity is allowed in basements in this area. In fact, MCD has demolished many basements in Rohini and Pitampura this week because of the same violation.

But Jai Electronics showroom functions from the basement.

“This is a blatant violation…completely unauthorised construction,” says Meena.

• Violation 3: Aggarwal hasn’t mended his ways even after he was given a chance to do so by the MCD—a privilege not many others have got. “It’s shocking that the shop is still operating because the MLA had been told about the violations by our officials and he had assured us that he would bring the display boards down. They (the shop’s staff) even dismantled the boards the first day of the demolition drive. We had no idea that the boards were back and the shop still functioning. We will act against Jai Electronics soon,” Meena says.