What order? Shops stay put on road

PATNA: The Patna High Court''s repeated orders to remove encroachments notwithstanding, there''s little space for motorists and pedestrians on many roads in the city. Take this: at least 40-feet area of the 60-feet-wide road at the New Market outside Patna Junction remains encroached by vendors and thela-wallahs everyday except for the brief period when traffic cops suddenly appear — only to disappear for the day, leading to a free-for-all among the vendors once again.
"It''s like going back to square one," a sexagenarian Patnaite fumed.The encroachers, however, described the "problem" as "roji-roti ka sawal". Shiv Shankar, who sells bananas on his "thela", said he was recently caught by the police and came out after paying Rs 450 as fine. "Even the Rs 20 I pay as protection money to a contractor and a policeman everyday did not help me," he said. No sooner does the police''s "halla gadi" comes than the vendors run away with their carts. Some of them are caught, though. "This despite regular payment of graft to the police and a road contractor," Shankar said, adding policemen also take bananas for free whenever they wish.
Ajay, who owns a shop opened way back in 1934, blames it on unemployment and population growth.