In a massive anti-encroachment drive in an area stretching from Clock Tower to inter-state bus terminus (ISBT), Dehradun district administration officials, divided in six teams, has removed encroachments on Thursday. The six teams led by three magistrates embarked on the drive at six different places from Clock Tower to ISBT at 5.45 am and it continued till evening, said the officials. In course of the drive, many buildings were demolished with JCB machines. Meanwhile, venting anger against the drive during which parts of shops aside from several buildings allegedly encroaching the roads have been demolished, the traders’ organisations have called a 24-hour market shutdown in the city areas on Friday.
Anticipating tension, given the magnitude of the drive, the administration had done ground- works on Wednesday. Heavy police contingents were deployed before the drive was launched. However, no major incident occurred, though the traders supported by the local leaders from both BJP and Congress staged demonstration, protesting against the drive.
Besides, the administration put barricades at various places and stopped traffic movement from ISBT to Clock Tower during the drive. This resulted in traffic pileups at various roads in the city. The traffic police having diverted some routes to facilitate the commuters failed to achieve its objective. Traffic either crawled or got stuck up for hours.
It should be mentioned here that to improve traffic system in the city, the state urban development minister Madan Kaushik had earlier inspected various roads from ISBT to Clock Tower. The Minister had observed that widening of roads by freeing them from encroachment was an imperative to improve the traffic system in the city while laying thrust on making the city roads model roads.
On the direction of the minister, DM SA Murugeshan along with SSP Nivedita Kukreti and other officers from Public Works Department, National Highways, Power, Municipal Corporation and MDDA had inspected the area on Wednesday with several encroached sites being identified.
SSP Kukreti said that six circle officers, 12 inspectors/ police station in-charges, 30 sub-inspectors, 24 head constables, 86 constables, 33 women constables, three companies of PAC, six tear gas teams and six fire tenders had been deployed on Wednesday night before the drive was launched to remove the encroachments from ISBT to Darshan lal Chowk to Clock Tower. “Those who were deployed were asked to carry sticks, body protectors and helmets,” she added.
The places which saw the anti- encroachment drives included Majra Mandi, Turner Road, Saharanpur Chowk, Prince Chowk, Panchayati Mandir and Clock Tower.