Bulldozers roll out: Panipat MC takes on market encroachments

The Municipal Corporation (MC) team on Tuesday launched a special anti-encroachment drive in Sukhdev Nagar market of the city, where the shopkeepers have reportedly encroached on the parking space for the past many years.

The Municipal Corporation had launched an anti-encroachment drive in the city recently. The MC had removed concrete slabs constructed in front of shops and showrooms on the Panipat-Sanoli-Haridwar highway by covering the stormwater drain.

Due to these slabs, the drain was not cleaned properly which led to waterlogging of the road every year during the rainy season.

In continuation of the anti-encroachment drive, the engineering wing officials on Tuesday evening initiated action in the Sukhdev Nagar market area and removed illegal structures constructed by the shop owners there.

The MC had given permission to the shopkeepers to cover an area of 20 ft, including the shop boundary, but the shopkeepers had encroached the area of around 20 to 40 ft beyond the permissible limits. The parking area was fully encroached by the shopkeepers due to which the consumers had to park their vehicles on the road. This led to heavy traffic jams on the main road, especially in the evening. A fire brigade vehicle got stuck on Sukhdev Nagar road due to the traffic jam, sources said.

Gopal Kalawat, XEn, MC, said several complaints were received against the encroachments regularly. Following the complaints, Commissioner Dr Pankaj Yadav has directed that these encroachments be removed from all markets.

The shopkeepers were already informed as an announcement (munadi) was made a week ago about the demolition of encroachments, he said.

Two-three shopkeepers have removed structures on their own while the rest have been removed with the help of a JCB machine, the XEn said. The anti-encroachment drive will continue in the city, the XEn asserted.

Haryana Tribune