Despite opposition of the people doing various businesses in front of the Bhubaneswar Railway station, a joint team of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), General Administration Department and East Coast Railways officials on Saturday demolished two temples, a hotel and many shanties paving the way for the expansion of the platforms under the platform development plan.
“We cleared the encroachments on two routes starting from the booking counter of the station to Ashoka Market and lalchand Jewellers for the execution of the Bhubaneswar platform development plan. As many as two temples, Jagannath and Akhandalamani, and a hotel were demolished. As the cases of three other hotels and four temples falling on the routes are subjudice, follow-up action will be taken accordingly,” said BDA Enforcement Officer Deba Prasad Dash.
“Three towers will be erected as parts of platform expansion. Hence, it was very necessary to demolish the illegal structures,” said the ECoR Assistant Divisional Engineer.Sources said a hotel and a multilevel parking building, besides construction of four more platforms would be undertaken soon at the station.Meanwhile, the State Government has appointed BDA Enforcement Officer Deba Prasad Dash as the nodal officer for a joint enforcement team which would undertake regular eviction drives for smooth execution of the platform development plan.