After six months of initial eviction drive, JCBs again demolished the unauthorised establishments on either side of the Station Road here on Tuesday. Baleswar district Collector Sanatan Mallick led the eviction team. Several concrete structures erected illegally on Government land on either side of the 100-meter road between the Railway Station and the Station Square were demolished in the presence of two platoons of police force deployed under leadership of DSP Amresh Panda.
DSP Panda said the eviction drive went smoothly without any disruption from encroachers. “The eviction drive had been stalled as some shop owners managed to obtain a stay order from the High Court six months back. Now, the stay vacation order is with us. The High Court has already ordered to clear the encroachments from the town and hence we have resumed the drive,” the district Collector said.
He said all encroachments from the FM Circle to the Collectorate, from the Collectorate to the Cinema Square and from the bus stand to Nainjodi would be cleared gradually for beautification work of the town, which would be undertaken at a cost of Rs42 crore. Meanwhile, the Baleswar Street Vendors’ Association expressed severe displeasure over the action. “The district administration has destroyed our livelihood sources. The eviction drive has been undertaken in violation of the Street Vendors Act 2014. We will approach the Supreme Court soon for justice,” said Jayant Das, a State-level leader of street vendors.
He also said the interim High Court order has also been undermined as the district administration neither formed town vending committee nor marked any area as ‘vending zone’ before demolition. “All roadside encroachments would be cleared in a phased manner in a month’s time. A vending zone has been identified to rehabilitate the evicted vendors,” said Additional District Magistrate Manmath Pani.