New Delhi, Apr 10 (IANS): Two days after the Delhi government declared the Bengali Market in Todermal Road as one the Covid-19 hotspots and sealed the area, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) on Friday issued a showcause notice to the Bangla Pastry Shop in the market for violation of the health licence issued by it.

The notice was issued after the civic body found 35 workers of the Bangla Pastry Shop living under unhygienic conditions in a congested space, violating the social distancing norms in place to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The civic body had surveyed the area after three persons were found Covid-19 positive from the neighbourhood area between April 4 and April 6.

The Delhi Police had then said that the three persons testing positive were the owner of Bangla Pastry Shop, his son and a cook at the confectionary.

"NDMC has mentioned in the notice that the act of negligence on the part of the vendor not only violated the primary conditions of the health licence, but also put the lives of many people in danger," a senior NDMC official said.

As per the provisions of Section 339 of the NDMC Act, 1994, NDMC has directed the vendor to explain why the shop's health licence should not be revoked within 10 days of the issuance of the notice, otherwise the civic body could seal the shop without further notice.

"NDMC will also take similar action against other defaulters if they are found violating the guidelines laid down by the District Administration for containment of Covid -19," the official added.

The surveillance team, which comprised officials of the District Administration and those from the NDMC, had on Wednesday screened 325 houses, two markets and about 2,000 people in the Bengali Market area.