Encroachers at Raipur bus stand evicted

After Chief Minister Harish Rawat pulled up officials for encroachments and lack of sanitation at the Old Raipur bus stand near lansdowne Chowk, the Municipal Corporation of Dehradun and the district administration demolished dozens of encroachments from the site on Thursday.  However, observers are questioning whether removing of such encroachments from near one intersection alone in town is enough to tackle the worsening problem of encroachments across the State capital. It will be recalled that to prevent inconvenience to public representatives during the Assembly Session the district administration had shifted the protest site from outside the Assembly to the old Raipur bus stand near the Parade Ground a couple of years ago. 

While passing by on Wednesday, the Chief Minister interacted with some of the persons protesting at this site. He pulled up officials for the lack of sanitation at the site and encroachments in the area. Following the CM’s directions, the authorities asked the encroachers thrice to evict themselves failing which about a dozen commercial encroachment were demolished jointly by the MCD and district administration on Thursday. 

However, when the authorities tried to remove the encroachments from the opposite side of the road, they had to refrain from doing so in the face of opposition from the traders.  Though a few encroachments were removed from one site on the directions of the Chief Minister, a much larger number of encroachments continue to dot various localities of the State capital. 

Dehradun Mayor Vinod Chamoli, responding to the action, said that such demolition was only a temporary solution as a long term solution required provision of alternate arrangements for the encroachers. While encroachments made for residential purpose cause environmental damage, problems in civic facilitation and other problems, the commercial encroachments - the majority of them on roadsides and public places - cause traffic congestion, deterioration of civic sanitation and damage to public property among other problems. Observers pointed out that while the authorities demolished about a dozen encroachments from the protest site, a larger number of encroachments have remained around lansdowne Chowk. 

Commercial encroachments on roadsides, footpaths and public space continued to cause traffic congestion and other problems at Clock Tower, Paltan Bazaar, Haridwar Road, Saharanpur Road, Rajpur Road and other localities of the State capital.  Rawat has repeatedly stressed on the need for various departments to protect their lands from encroachment. However, municipal officials on the condition of anonymity pointed out that considering the extent of political interference in anti-encroachment drives, it was not likely that the State would be able to take effective action against encroachment. 

Even if some encroachments are removed, it is difficult in the present circumstances to ensure that the land freed thus is not encroached upon again, they added.