QUESTIONS RAISED OVER A WALL ERECTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AT SHAHPUR

QUESTIONS RAISED OVER A WALL ERECTED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD AT SHAHPUR

7-DEC-ENG 10

RAJIV NAYAN AGRAWAL

ARA---------------------------------Following strict instructions from District Magistrate Tanay Sultania, a large-scale campaign to remove encroachments from public land and roads is underway in the district. The main objective of this campaign is to ensure smooth traffic flow for the general public. In this regard, the drive to remove encroachments from roads in the Shahpur town area has been intensified, with the circle, municipal, and police administrations working diligently to ensure strict adherence to the rules.

Under this district-wide campaign, illegally constructed shops, huts, platforms, and other structures along the roadsides are being removed. For a long time, these encroachments caused traffic congestion and inconvenience for pedestrians. The District Magistrate has given clear instructions to all concerned departments that any laxity in removing encroachments will not be tolerated. In the Shahpur town area, if encroachments are not removed voluntarily within the stipulated time frame, the administration is taking forceful action. This campaign has significantly improved traffic flow on the roads, and local residents have appreciated this step taken by the administration.

While the administration is diligently carrying out the anti-encroachment drive in Shahpur and other areas, a case has emerged from Ward No. 11 of the town area that is raising questions about the seriousness and impartiality of this campaign. A wall has been erected in the middle of the road in Ward No. 11, which is causing a strong debate among local residents and various sections of society. This wall is in the middle of the road and is blocking the entire section, causing obstruction to traffic. People are questioning why this construction does not fall under the category of encroachment, especially when the administration is so actively removing encroachments in other places?

In this context, local citizens are citing the provisions of the Bihar Municipal Act. According to the Act, it is mandatory to follow the measurements and rules prescribed by the municipality during any house construction. No person should encroach upon public roads or land, and construction work must be carried out while leaving a certain distance (setback) from the property line to ensure sufficient space remains for public use.

In this specific case in Ward No. 11 of Shahpur Nagar Panchayat, it is alleged that a landowner, under the pretext of completing the boundary of his land, has encroached upon the public road. As a result of this encroachment, a significant portion of the road has become narrow or completely blocked.

Local citizens and intellectuals are questioning why, if the District Magistrate's instructions are so strict and the administration is rigorously removing encroachments, the Nagar Panchayat administration is being lenient towards this wall erected in the middle of the road in Ward No. 11. Why has it not been removed? This situation raises questions about the uniformity of the campaign and the principle of equal application of the law for all citizens. If encroachments by small shopkeepers and the poor are being removed, then similar action should be taken against encroachments by wealthy or influential people. This is the expectation of the public, so that the credibility of the anti-encroachment drive is maintained.