17 illegal structures demolished in Kalarhanga

Bhubaneswar: In a joint demolition drive to free govt land from encroachment, squads of Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC), Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and general administration (GA) department demolished close to 17 illegal structures, mostly houses and a few shops, including that of a scrap dealer, at Kalarahanga here on Tuesday.Official sources said the eviction was carried out on govt land under Kalarahanga mouza as part of the scheduled Central Enforcement Monitoring Committee (CEMC) eviction programme. The operation began with multiple enforcement teams moving into the area with police support to remove structures allegedly built on public land.During the drive, authorities demolished three under-construction houses, six asbestos sheet houses, a chicken shop, a cabin, a scrap godown, four toilets and a water tank. Around 150 feet of iron fencing raised over the encroached land was also pulled down.Officials said there was little resistance from local people during the demolition as prior warnings had been issued to the encroachers. Since the land belonged to the govt, those occupying it were informed in advance that the structures would be demolished if not removed voluntarily."After the operation, around 0.300 acre of govt land was freed from encroachment. The eviction drive would continue on Wednesday as part of the ongoing effort to reclaim public land in the city," an official from BDA said.Officials said the operation was conducted under the supervision of BDA joint commissioner (Enforcement) Ranjan Kumar, with field supervision by deputy director of general administration department Amiya Kumar Das. Officials from several enforcement wings were present during the drive.BDA vice-chairman Chanchal Rana said, "Anti-encroachment drives would continue in different parts of Bhubaneswar to protect govt land from illegal occupation." He urged encroachers to vacate such land voluntarily to facilitate development works.Authorities said seven squads of the BDA took part in the operation along with the junior enforcement officer, revenue inspector of the GA department, personnel from Infocity police station and additional police forces deployed to maintain law and order.