The Pioneer 22.05.2013
After temple razing, eviction drive for JICA in Cuttack
temple demolition drive on Tuesday, another eviction drive was, however,
launched in the city on the day. It was the Cuttack Municipal
Corporation (CMC) which took the opportunity to run the bulldozers on
illegal constructions like slums, roadside shops and kiosks that had
come up along the main drains. The civic body authorities also
demolished a temple on the day as part of its drive.
“We removed all the illegal constructions along the main drain
stretching from Matrubhawan to Mattagajpur as this drain will be
refurbished for the ambitious JICA (Japan International Cooperation
Agency project,” said CMC Secretary Laxmidhar Nath. At least three
slums, scores of roadside shops and a Shiva temple were pulled down as
these structures had come up encroaching upon the Government lands.
Anticipating public protest and law and order situation, the civic body
authorities had also requisitioned the services of police for the day’s
purpose. At least five platoons of police were deployed at the eviction
site and reports said no untoward incident took place.
Slum-dwellers, however, complained that they were not previously
informed about the eviction drive for which they faced hardship in
removing their properties from their shanties in the hot summer days.
“We requested the authorities to give us at least 24 hours’ time to
remove our belongings to safer place but the authorities did not pay
heed to our pleas,” said a slum-dweller, who claimed to have settled
down at the place for more than 20 years.
The Rs 757.44-crore JICA project envisages construction of a separate
drainage and sewerage system in the city with the help of technical
knowhow from the USA, Japan and France.
At least 30 km of the existing main storm drains of the city would be renovated under the project.
Similarly, new sewerage facilities of 230 km of underground gravity
sewers and several pumping stations with two sewage treatment plants at
Bidanasi and Mattagajpur are parts of this much-awaited JICA project.