Bhubaneswar: Vendors staged protests near Bhubaneswar railway station Thursday after an eviction drive was carried out to free the area of encroachments.
Twenty-three polythene and bamboo-shed shops, 28 fast-food counters on trolleys and 32 mobile-vending shops selling fruits and other items were demolished despite heavy opposition by their owners.
The vendors staged a sit-in near the eviction site over loss of livelihood as an excavator razed down their shops amid police presence.
The drive was jointly conducted by the Bhubaneswar Smart City Ltd (BSCL), Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and the Commissionerate Police, according to an official release.
The eviction, which was stalled on multiple occasion in the past, was finally carried out for implementation of the Smart Janpath Project as the cleared space would be used for setting up cycling tracks, poles for pedestrian lighting, and a buffer zone for ornamental plantations and sitting arrangements, the release said.
It will ensure smooth traffic circulation on the road connecting the Master Canteen Junction with the railway station, the statement added.
One of the protesters said that he had taken out a loan to set up his shop. “Now, how will I repay it?” he wondered.
“We have a vendor card and licence. The administration didn’t hold any discussion with us or inform us about before the drive,” he told a TV channel.
PTI