New Delhi, Jan 23 (IANS): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday urged the Central government to bring an ordinance to protect the capital's traders from an ongoing sealing drive.

"I urge the Centre to bring an ordinance, if required, to protect Delhi's traders from sealing," Kejriwal tweeted.

Saying the economic situation was already grim, he said the sealing drive had hit traders very hard. "It is our duty to protect them. Else (a large) number of people would become jobless."

The drive is on against business establishments which are using residential properties for commercial purposes without paying the conversion charges.

The drive is being carried out by a Monitoring Committee set up by the Supreme Court in 2006. In 2012, the apex court asked the committee to stop the drive. But in December 2017 it ordered its resumption.

All wholesale and commercial markets across Delhi kept their shutters down on Tuesday to protest against the drive which is expected to lead to loss of business worth Rs 1,500 crore, according to the Confederation of All India Traders.