In yet another successful joint eviction drive, the enforcement squads of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Odisha Water and Sewerage Board (OWSSB) removed an encroachment from near IRC Square, where a landowner had illegally occupied three manholes of the sewerage network.
Due to the illegal occupation, the sewage was getting mixed up with the discharge of nearby storm water drain, while the latter is supposed to carry only rain water. The consequence was that the entire sewage of the IRC area was getting mixed with the rainwater near Iskcon area and was polluting the water, which was emerging out of the culvert below NH and was bifurcating into two drains through Behera Sahi and Bhoi Sahi, respectively.
The major encroacher, who had made the sewage system of Iskcon side dysfunctional, had encroached for over a decade. With the rainwater issue near Iskcon area getting noticed due to the water logging situation, the eviction was planned after the visit of BMC Commissioner-cum-Vice-Chairman BDA Dr Krishan Kumar, who had done a ground zero survey on July 25.
Additional Commissioner-cum-Member Enforcement BDA Bhabani Shankar Chayani, who led the drive today said, after the encroachment was removed the NHAI people barricaded the area with concrete slabs so that later the OWSSB in association with PHEO would develop the defunct sewerage line to ensure respite for the residents of Nayapalli, Behera Sahi and Bhoi Sahi.
The OWSSB has been instructed to inspect all the households and establishments including Presidency Hotel, Iskcon, Krishna Plaza from IRC Square to ID Market and disconnect the illegal sewage connection falling into the storm water drain. They should obtain connection with the sewage line being made functional from IRC to ID Market, after today's enforcement.
In yet another development, an eviction drive near ITER Engineering College under Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan University in Ward-64 along the natural Drainage Channel No. 9 ended with removal of 176 feet long boundary wall of the engineering college for encroaching upon the path of the drainage channel.