KP, KMC raze 200 Illegal structures on riverfront, push-back drive held on S N Banerjee pavements

Kolkata: A joint team of Kolkata Police and KMC carried out an anti-encroachment drive—apparently among the largest in recent times—near Armenian Ghat, on parts of Strand Road and on the approach road to the Mullickghat flower market on Wednesday and Thursday, demolishing over 200 illegal structures built on govt land. A push-back drive also conducted on the pavements along S N Banerjee Road on Friday.

Payloaders and demolition equipment were deployed even as police personnel stood guard against any possible disruption to the drive. But no untoward incident was reported. A range of encroachments, including shanties, godowns, small eateries and shops, that had come up over the years along the busy riverfront stretch were pulled down. An official said several occupants also built concrete structures on govt land illegally, prompting the authorities to launch the demolition exercise.

This was part of the wider anti-encroachment campaign that the new govt has launched across urban areas ever since it assumed office last month.

The scale of the riverfront demolition generated a large volume of debris, much of which remained piled up on some spots. Civic workers continued cleaning up on Friday, removing rubble and construction waste left behind after the structures were demolished.

A police officer who was part of the exercise said the drive was among the largest anti-encroachment exercises in the area in recent years. “Over 200 illegal structures were cleared from Armenian Ghat, Strand Road and the approach to the flower market. Many of those structures occupied govt land for years,” said the officer. “The objective of the drive was to reclaim public space and ensure free movement in the area. We had informed the occupants of the illegal structures beforehand about the demolition drive and many of them had cleared out their belongings.”

Commuters and pedestrians welcomed the clearance, saying encroachments had become a permanent feature of the riverfront landscape. “I have been passing through this stretch for years and I had always found it encroached upon. No one could ever imagine that these shops and structures would ever be removed. The place looks much more open now,” said Amit Das, who frequently uses the route.

But affected people at the Armenian Ghat said they did not know where to go. “We are not saying the govt should not clear the land but they could have given us some more time to look for an alternative space,” said Shalu Singh, who stayed in a shanty for over 15 years.

Police were stationed to ensure encroachers did not return. “Monitoring will continue to prevent fresh encroachments from coming up on the reclaimed land,” said an officer.

A push-back drive was also held on the pavements along SN Banerjee Road near Janbazar on Friday afternoon. Several traders, who had encroached on the pavements, were prosecuted. On the southern flank of the street, where rows of photo frame shops are located, the authorities cautioned the owners against keeping their wares on the pavement in front of their shops. Some materials were seized. “The photo frame shopkeepers used to display frames, up to 5 ft, outside their shops that hindered pedestrians’ movements. Those were removed,” said Manish Khaitan, a resident of the area. “The pavement on the other side was also cleared as obstructions left hardly two-three feet of space for passers-by.”

Mahendra Prasad, a shopkeeper who deals in photo frames, said, “Police alerted all traders a week ago and asked us to remove encroachments from the pavement. But hardly anyone paid heed. They faced the consequences on Friday.” Another owner, some of the wares of whom were seized, said, “We put out these materials on the pavements so that the space is not taken over by new hawkers

In the evening, hawkers, mainly vegetable sellers, sat on the pavements with their wares. “We were told to stick to only three feet of the pavement and not beyond. We are obeying the rule,” said Ratan Karat, a vegetable seller.