Fresh anti-encroachment drive starts

Hazaribagh district administration on Sunday started a fresh round of anti-encroachment drive to clear the roads and lanes of the town.

This time the administration properly announced the  drive, so,  except for a little protest inside the local main vegetable market,  everywhere the encroachments were removed easily.

Since the district administration had already publicized the starting of anti-encroachment drive, most of the shopkeepers had already removed their goods and other things from the area.

On Sunday morning, the administration team led by SDO Aditya Ranjan started the drive from local vegetable market. Inside the market, when the team started clearing the encroached areas some shopkeepers started protesting the action of district administration. When some shopkeepers tried to stop the work, the team used mild force to restore the order.

Later, the anti-encroachment team comprising LRDC Shabbir Ahmed, executive magistrate Kumud Kumar Jha and EO of Municipal Corporation Ashish Kumar cleared the encroachments in Hindu school lane and then in Matwari area of the town. During this drive many hoardings, tea stalls, extension counter of some restaurants, boards of other shops, some small betel shops etc. were removed from the sites.

The team was using JCB machines to clear the encroachment. SDO Ranjan said that  those who had not cleared their encroachment after information, will have to pay fine and soon the administration will serve them notices to pay the fine from which the amount spent in this drive could be obtained.

Later, the representatives of a union of local vegetable market met with local MLA Manish Jaiswal and talked on this issue. During talk the representatives accepted that there are encroachments in the market and demanded to solve the problem of space in the market.

MLA Jaiswal said that encroachments are against law so he cannot do anything on it. He appealed to the representatives to come to him with a proposal of erection of multi-storied building in place of the present vegetable market in which space will be provided to every present shopkeepers and some new shopkeeper too with ample space of parking for vehicles.