Bhubaneswar: The eviction team of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation is doing something that’s translating into nothing. So much so, the team is turning itself into a laughing stock. Street vendors continue to rule the footpaths in the capital. The team is allegedly content with making a show and keeping its eyes firmly closed where action is warranted.
Once on the pavement, it’s a chaotic situation for pedestrians. The newfound honour of the capital falling in the Smart City list has helped little in changing the grim scenario on the footpaths. Fact is, footpaths or pedestrian tracks are missing at many locations, despite the city boasting itself of being one among the few planned cities. There is disregard on the part of vendors and others for pedestrian conveniences; and encroachments are one too many. Orderly life in the city, thus, is a far cry.
“The existing footpaths are occupied by street vendors for most part. In some places, cabling works go on and on for days and weeks, making a mess of what should be a pedestrian convenience. “Pedestrians are very unsafe in this smart city,” rued MK Mohanty, a senior citizen.
While the civic body is making a crude song and dance out of the job of clearing the encroachments, vendors are having the upper hand. They use political and other influences to outwit the civic squads, and stay put. For instance, an eviction drive at Rajmahal Square, on Janpath this Saturday turned out to be a failure. Smart as they are, the vendors approached court and put a spoke into the civic wheel.
“We were able to clear some new encroachments, not the old ones, as several encroachers have gone to court. Now, we have to wait for a court directive,” said a member of the eviction team.
Meanwhile, the civic body’s one hand does not know what the other is doing. While the eviction drive is on with much fanfare, it is also giving temporary permits to vendors at some of the prohibited areas, citing one or the other excuse. For instance, the owner of a temporary stall at a vending prohibited area claimed he has the necessary permission from BMC.
“This is a temporary stall and it will be removed after a month. We have taken the permission from BMC,” said Suvendu Mahallik, a vendor in the area.
Many denizens opined that the civic body should stop giving such temporary permits, and maintain order in the streets. “Currently, BMC is not able to clear encroachments due to legal complications. It should not give permission at vending prohibited areas and should clear all the encroachments on footpaths,” said Sibananda Rout, a tax consultant.
Vendors have encroached most of the footpaths at Master Canteen side of the railway station, where activity as also movement is high. Civic officials have turned a Nelson’s Eye on these law violations.
Lack of seriousness on the part of the civic body is all too clear. Mayor Anant Narayan Jena was evasive on the issue. He told this daily in response to a query that he will look into the matter. “I will visit the locations and enquire about the issues,” Jena said as if he is not in the know of things. Result: the order that is expected of a planned city is grossly missing in this capital city, thanks to the couldn’t care style of operation of the BMC.
Jose K Joseph, OP
