Heated arguments break out at Paltan Bazaar after the squad arrives

Heated altercations erupted at the Paltan Bazaar area after the anti-encroachment squad comprising employees of   Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA), Municipal Corporation of Dehradun (MCD) and the district administration reached on Monday to identify the unauthorised structures for demolition in line with the State High Court order. Things were such that the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Dehradun Pratush Singh arrived to defuse the tension. Notably, the Paltan Bazaar  area is perceived to be among the most-congested parts of the city. Traffic movement around it is affected daily. The worst affected stretch is the one from   Clock tower to Darshanlal Chowk as the traffic either crawls or comes to a grinding halt with the vehicles locked bumper to bumper. 

Talking with The Pioneer, one of the shopkeepers trading from Paltan Bazaar, said that they have been doing business from these shops for generations. “Now, all of a sudden, we are being branded as encroachers as per the  map passed by MDDA and MCD. We are all charged with extending our shops beyond the permitted limit and thus encroaching upon the public space. However, the question is-why has the reality dawned on them after so many years? Things are such that around 60 percent of our shops would be pulled down. Where would we go?” the person owning a footwear shop asked.  

The Tehsildar of Dehradun Jaspal Rana while talking to this correspondent admitted that arguments have broken out when the team reached the area to mark the encroaching structures this morning. “Things were minor,” he said. However, when queried why the SDM had to turn up, he said that this was because they found it difficult to carry out their duty with the people arguing and resisting. “They asked us to defer things till the monsoon was over. They said they would volunteer to remove the encroachments after the monsoon ends. However, the SDM persuaded them to withdraw and said he had already talked to the leaders of their association,” he added.     

He, further, said that they have handed over a notice to all the shopkeepers while marking the encroaching structures. “The notice states that either the traders remove the encroachments on their own in 24 hours or else the squad would pull them down,” he added.