The Pioneer 06.05.2013
Eviction drive at Jugsalai; 80 shop owners face ire
In a major eviction drive more than 80 shop owners and owners of residential premises faced the Jugsalai Mucipality's ire as the civic body carried out the drive from the densely-populated Station Road on Sunday.
According to officials of the Jugsalai Municipality, the owners of the shops and residences had been given permission to put up cement slab over the drains passing on either side of the road. But instead of putting the slab, most of them had concretted the platform, several of them blocking the drain. As a result of which the drainage system had collapsed, causing the rain water to spill over to the road leading to traffic congestion.
“Most of the shops here had come up with extension the government land and still the process of encroachment is on. Those who pass through this road daily but hardly bother to initiate any steps to remove the encroachments,” said Prakash Sharma, a social worker.
The anti-encroachment drive at Jugsalai had actually begun on the Jugsalai-Station Road on Saturday afternoon, but it had stopped in a while after one of the shop-keepers and his men had resisted the civic body's move.
The drive was resumed this morning on the Station Road, but signifcantly there was no protest from the shop-keeper and owners of the residential premises. Rather several of the owners of the shops and residences were seen dismantling the extended portion by themselves. Special officer, Jugsalai Municipality, Sitaram Singh said that the anti-encroachment drive will continue for the next one week during which they would clear the encroachment from the roads in Jugsalai.
Meanwhile several illegal jhuggis and shops have been raised in areas in Mango, Golpahari, Loco Colony, Karandih, Jugsalai, Sakchi andBistupur. Though several times the anti-encroachment drives have been carried but due to support of local goons the people are able to intrude the land again.
