Ajmer authorities demolish 120 cabins in city

AJMER: The district administration on Thursday demolished 120 cabins (gumthi) in the city area. The owners and some Congress municipal councillors protested and blocked the Savitri College Road. They set tyres on fire. Police used force to control the situation. Bulldozers also demolished five illegally constructed shops on main roads of the city.
The demolition team went to the Jawahar Rang Manch Road and demolished 100 cabins with bulldozers, the owners protested but the administration remained firm.
The team also went to Shastri Nagar area and demolished 20 cabins, including an illegal ice-cream parlor constructed on the sewerage line near the bus stand. A 15-feet high construction opposite Shuchana Kendra was knocked down and a part of commercial complex was demolished near the petrol pump.
The cabin owners were angry but the police controlled the situation. The Congress leaders Saurabh Bajad and some councillors lay down on road to block the bulldozers.
The city magistrate Jagdish Purohit, muncipal CEO C R Meena along with deputy SP Yogita Meena prepared the demolition strategy early on Thursday morning."We issued notices to these cabins to remove their belongings and on Thursday we took action," officials said.
These cabins were allotted to unemployed city youths 10 years ago by the Congress government. "The leases have expired and now the administration has decided to remove them to decongest roads," officials added.
Meanwhile, the cabin owners said they are now again unemployed, "I have invested money in it. Now all is ruined. I have no other means of livelihood," said one.
However, the demolition team found that out of 120 cabins, there were only three people who were originally allotted these cabins. "The rest were given out on rent to others and they encroached on roads. There were complaints that these cabins had became illegal liquor dens and harboured other illegal activities," officials said.