Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, April 12: Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) much-touted plan of ensuring encroachment-free footpaths on the Master Canteen-Rajmahal Square stretch has come a cropper because of the lack of monitoring by government agencies.
Street vendors and permanent traders have encroached upon footpaths, leaving hardly any space for pedestrians.
Municipal commissioner Krishan Kumar and twin city police commissioner RP Sharma had hogged the limelight when they announced plans to emulate London’s parking and footpath model. However, the lack of regular monitoring and the dearth of manpower put paid to their plans.
The civic body had envisaged on street parking lots and encroachment-free pathways to improve the condition of the stretch with the aim of wooing shoppers and creating a recreational zone on the stretch.
However, the city enforcement monitoring committee (CEMC) headed by the Chief Secretary, which looks after encroachment-related issues, did little to prevent further encroachment on the stretch. The CEMC in January and February carried out around half-a-dozen eviction drives but within a few days squatters reappeared on the footpaths.
Many proposed eviction drives have been stalled because of the controversy over transfer of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) enforcement officer and BMC assistant commissioner who were actively cracking the whip on encroachers, according to sources.
Now the entire stretch is dotted with hawkers who have put up makeshift structures while permanent shopkeepers have extended their areas of operation.
“The time has come for BMC to act instead of just talking about world-class projects for Bhubaneswar,” said Amitabh Rout, a resident of Ashok Nagar.
Mayor AN Jena claimed eviction drives would be resumed soon and efforts are on to clear footpaths of encroachments to provide the citizens with a better shopping experience.
