Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Feb 2: After repeatedly failing to raze illegal structures in the heart of Chandrashekharpur, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Monday successfully demolished 240 makeshift—including 30 pukka houses near Kanya Ashram.
Over 600 police personnel were pressed into service by the commissionerate police to ensure law and order situation during the eviction drive, which is believed to be the biggest drives in the history of city.
Sources said chief secretary Gokul Chandra Pati had asked general administration department (GAD) special secretary Niten Chandra and BDA vice chairman Krishan Kumar to clear the land from encroachments.
The drive began at 10 am amid mild resistance has directly affected around 800 people, usurping a large chunk of 30 acres of land. Officials said the market value of the land is around `200 crore.
BDA and BMC team had gone to the spot to pull down illegal houses February 25, 2014, but the officials were held hostage. The officials had to leave the site after the occupants brandished sharp weapons to them.
Reliable sources said despite numerous attempts, BDA and BMC teams could not demolish illegal structures at Kanya Ashram as a select officers of local police station were hand in glove with the land mafia. The land mafia reported to have taken huge sums of money from the affected people to rehabilitate them at Kanya Ashram land.
The GAD requisitioned the BDA and BMC to clear the encroachment for which seven excavators and over 50 GAD, corporation and development authority officials were pressed into service.
Though the government agencies patted their backs for successfully demolishing illegal houses, fate of over 800 affected people remained uncertain. Many poor encroachers kept crying after their makeshift structures were bulldozed by the agencies while the lensmen were busy taking photographs.
“As now we have freed the encroached land, the vacant land would be used to build affordable houses for people. The government has mooted a proposal to built EWS and LIG houses for the poor people which would be sold at cheaper prices,” BDA secretary Ranjan Kumar Das said.
Kailash Digal who came from Phulbani to city and built his house said he has lost everything now. “I have lost all hopes as who will take care of my family of four persons. Government has done injustice to us who struggle everyday to get a square meal,” he said while wiping his tears.
Another victim, Shyam Nayak fainted several times during the drive.
BMC assistance commissioner (Recovery) Sumita Behera said the drive was peaceful and every illegal structure was brought down. “We will soon start constructing boundary walls to prevent further encroachments,” she said.
“Adequate police personnel were provided to help the city enforcement monitoring committee weed out illegal structures,” BDA enforcement officer Deba Prasad Dash remarked.
