Palpable tension prevailed at Jharpada here when irate locals, mainly vendors, hit the streets protesting eviction of a daily market near Ganesh Mandap early on Friday morning.
Hundreds of vendors along with their families assembled at the site to oppose the eviction drive carried out by the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC). They alleged that the BMC served a very short notice of less than 12 hours asking them to vacate the place.
As part of their protest, the vendors blocked the road near Laxmisagar Golei Chhak on the Cuttack-Puri road disrupting vehicular movement.
“The administration carried out the demolition drive early this morning after serving a notice last night only. We have not received any compensation also. My husband had his stall in the market and it was the only source of income for our family. How would we manage and resettle everything within such a short period? We will not move an inch from here unless we get justice,” said a woman.
In view of the tension, 12 platoons of police force were deployed in the area to avoid any unpleasant situation during the protest.