BULLDOZER DEMOLISHED ENCROACHMENTS IN PIRO

BULLDOZER DEMOLISHED ENCROACHMENTS IN PIRO

6-DEC-ENG 2

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA----------------------------On Friday, a large-scale anti-encroachment drive was conducted in the Piro municipal area under the leadership of police and administrative officials. The city remained bustling throughout the day, and there was an atmosphere of panic among small and large shopkeepers due to this campaign. It should be noted that local administrative officials had been touring the city for the past two days, giving instructions regarding the removal of encroachments. Following this, on Friday, the bulldozer action began in the presence of Piro SDM Krishna Kumar Upadhyay, SDPO Krishna Kumar Singh, Municipal Executive Officer Ms. Megha, and other officials, along with a large number of police personnel. The campaign started from Ara Road and continued until late evening. During this time, hundreds of makeshift shops, as well as brick walls and permanent staircases in several places, were demolished. Approximately a dozen permanent staircases were demolished on Ara Road and Sasaram Road during this operation. Action was also taken against large-scale encroachments in the vegetable market, Thana Mod, Gandhi Chowk, and other locations. During the operation, the municipal administration issued challans to about half a dozen people for encroachment, while some alleged encroachers with permanent structures were warned and asked to remove the encroachments immediately. However, this action by the administration has left hundreds of poor and street vendors without their livelihoods. According to administrative officials, the anti-encroachment drive will continue in the coming days as well. During the campaign against encroachments conducted by the local administration on Friday, several permanent structures were also demolished. This led to considerable anger among the local people. According to local residents, the administration had stated that encroachments would be removed only up to the main drain along the main road, and notices were issued on this basis. However, during the campaign on Friday, the administration arbitrarily demolished shops, walls, and staircases of several people even beyond the main drain. Local residents, calling the action arbitrary, said that if permanent structures were to be removed, a proper survey and marking should have been carried out first, followed by a notice issued to the concerned individuals before removing the encroachments. However, they alleged that the local administration acted arbitrarily on Friday in the name of removing encroachments.  BJP leader Madan Snehi and social worker Amit Gupta, along with several others, have demanded that alternative arrangements be made for the hundreds of poor street vendors displaced by the anti-encroachment drive conducted by the administration on Friday. ​​According to the leaders, simply removing encroachments and rendering hundreds of people jobless will not solve the problem. They urged the administration to make alternative arrangements for the displaced vendors and create a permanent plan to keep the city free from encroachments.