HIGH HANDEDNESS OF MUNICIPAL COUNCIL STAFF

HIGH HANDEDNESS OF MUNICIPAL COUNCIL STAFF

14-JUNE-ENG 1

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

BHABHUA--------------------------A dispute has escalated between the administration and shopkeepers during an anti-encroachment drive in the Bhabhua Municipal Council area of ​​Bihar. Chaos ensued today at Ekta Chowk when a Municipal Council team overturned a mango juice cart. Following the incident, agitated shopkeepers blocked Ekta Chowk for nearly an hour and raised slogans against the administration.

Acting on Bihar government directives, the Bhabhua Municipal Council is conducting a special drive to make the city encroachment-free. As part of this initiative, the team arrived at Ekta Chowk today and reacted angrily upon seeing a roadside mango juice cart. Without issuing a warning or following the procedure for levying a fine, the staff overturned the cart, scattering all the merchandise onto the road. According to the affected vendor, Sunil Kumar, he suffered a heavy loss of ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 in the incident. Expressing his outrage, he stated that if they were in the wrong, a fine could have been imposed, but destroying their means of livelihood was completely unjustifiable.

Upon receiving news of the traffic jam, Bhabhua Station House Officer (SHO) Mukesh Kumar and Executive Officer (EO) Sanjay Upadhyay arrived at the scene and managed to clear the blockade after assuring the shopkeepers of appropriate action. However, the dispute did not end there. Later, a heated argument broke out at the Municipal Council office between former Chairperson Jainendra Kumar Arya and Deputy Chairperson Amjad Khan. Both began listing the shortcomings of each other's tenures. The situation became so tense that a physical altercation seemed imminent, but the matter was brought under control in time.

Local resident Roshan Gupta questioned the Municipal Council's modus operandi, terming it arbitrary. He alleged that the drive is discriminatory and that shopkeepers who pay "convenience fees" are spared. Meanwhile, Executive Officer Sanjay Upadhyay clarified that an inquiry would be conducted into the cart-overturning incident and action would be taken against those found guilty. He has appealed to all shopkeepers to adhere to government regulations and set up their shops only in designated vendor zones so that the city's traffic flow remains uninterrupted.