The Pioneer 02.11.2010
Anti-encroachment drive faces tough resistance from shopkeepersPNS | DEHRADUN
The team of Police and Municipal Corporation officials on Monday again carried out the anti-encroachment drive in commercial areas In Dehradun. The team faced stiff resistance and brawl created by shop keepers and other roadside vendors. Heated arguments were exchanged; mild force was used and scores of carts, wood planks were seized.
The officials started the drive from Darshani Gate and thereafter cleared the roads in vegetable market, Pipal Mandi, Naharwali Gali, Paltan Bazaar and Fruit Market adjacent to Paltan Bazaar. The drive was different from other drives carried out during last three days as the officials did not seize goods but the carts and other wooden planks which had been used by the encroachers.
According to officials, despite repeated anti-encroachment drives and seizure of goods, the encroachers were coming back to the same place on the very next day. With the seizure of their carts and other wooden planks used by them as platform, they will remain away from the roads now. More stern action will be taken in form of fine and criminal cases in future, AMNA Harak Singh Rawat said.
Earlier a joint team of MCD and Police had carried out the same drive which had come to an abrupt end following the protest by traders.
This time,the authority launched the drive again but with some leniency for traders. “Keeping in mind the commercial interest of traders during the festival season particularly in view of ‘Deepawali’ and ‘Dhanteras’, the shopkeepers have been allowed to place their goods on pavements at roads in Paltan Bazaar area. But no one will be allowed to place goods beyond the pavement. There will be no cart vendor in Paltan Bazaar and in other adjoining markets they will have to limit their vegetable and fruits shops to the prescribed limit, official said.
Besides the continued practice of shops going beyond their legitimate limits, encroached pavement disorderly parking, the roadside vendors who had placed goods and cart vendors left little space for the shoppers and other commuters too move in the Bazaar and present a sorry figure of the main market of the capital city.
The agitated traders, on one hand, maintained that the authorities should not carry out anti-encroachment drives during the festival season. Now they need more space to showcase goods to attract more customers. They are of the view that by limiting their shops in their premises only, they will not be able to woo customers and would suffer financial loss.
On the hand, other cart vendors say that they have no other option but to be on the road to earn their livelihood. They said that if the authority will provide them a specific space within the bazaar they will not need to encroach upon the road.
