The Pioneer 26.10.2010
BMC eviction squad spares BJD corporator's hotel at BerhampurSANTANU BARAD | BERHAMPUR
Locals here have resented against the alleged sparring of a hotel, reportedly owned by a local BJD corporator's family, during the eviction of encroachments launched by the Berhampur Municipal Corporation (BMC), local administration and the police at the Old Bus Stand here on Monday while all other adjoining areas had been evicted following a High Court order.
Berhampur Sub-Collector, Berhampur Tahsildar, Berhampur Development Authority Secretary and Berhampur Sub-Divisional Police Officer were present to evict the encroached areas.
Notably, the High Court had ordered, following a legal battle involving a hotel owner and the taxi stand people, to free the encroached area at the bus stand.
Accordingly, the local administration started to demolish the encroached constructions starting from Hotel Nandan International (one of the parties of litigation) and went on demolishing the adjoining areas, including a liquor bar belonging to an influential person of the city.
However, a hotel named Jyoti Residency was spared and the people were taken aback when the local administrators and high ranking police officials left the spot without touching the said hotel belonging to the family of a Biju Janata Dal (BJD) corporator. Local merchants, including the taxi stand owners, auto rickshaw owners and even onlookers resented partial move by the administration which was quite clear as except that hotel, all other adjoining areas encroached were demolished.
Needless to mention, the administration had earlier not spared even a newspaper stall at the same Old Bus Stand.
It may be recalled that Rs 13.5 lakh cash had been seized from a room of Hotel Jyoti Residency during the last General Elections and local MP Siddhant Mohapatra, the BJD candidate then, was staying in it.
