Bhubaneswar: It seems, citizens of the Temple City have realised how the encroachers have made the lives of others miserable by encroaching upon drainage channels and drains, causing water-logging and ultimately urban flooding. They are now cheering the demolition drives to free drainage network from illegal occupation.
While the joint eviction squad of Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) was in action at Ekamra Vihar near Jaydev Vihar today, to demolish a structure on the Drainage Channel No. 4, locals came openly talking about how many house owners in the locality have openly flouted the rules and have constructed structures on the channel.
Today, the joint squad demolished a structure on the channel, on which a local resident had built a hostel and also a grocery shop while blocking the flow of the drain water, partially.
Interestingly, the Drainage Channel No. 4, which originates from near the Ekamra Kanan (Regional Plant Resource Centre) boundary wall and has a straight course up to Munda Sahi Square, but is now having a serpentine course due to the illegal encroachers and land grabbing activities.
Kulamani Nayak of Ekamra Vihar was of the opinion that the locals have made several complaints even some four years ago when the person started building the hostel over the channel, but the latter did not listen to plea of locals.
Chandramohan Patra, also from Ekamra Vihar was of the opinion that as many have just done gross irregularities by playing with the course of the channel and converting it to a secondary drain. “Strict action should be initiated against them and their structures should be demolished,’’ he added.
Pointing to another structure just 50 metres away from the hostel on the water body, Patra said “the person was also told by locals not to construct anything on the channel, but he went on to build a toilet on the channel.’’
Pramod Kumar Bhuyan of Ekamra Vihar was of the opinion that as the civic and development authorities had taken up the noble cause with a missionary zeal, all illegal encroachments along the drainage channel should be cleared now.
Manas Ranjan Samal, a student staying in the area said “the encroachments not only are squeezing the flow of the water causing artificial or man-made flooding, but the cleaning of the channel are not being possible due to the encroached portions. These portions always cause havoc during heavy rains. ’’
All local residents, both house owners and tenants staying in Ekamra Vihar and Ekamra Villa, who came to see and praised the joint eviction in action, said “people are really happy to see that the BDA-BMC team has started working and the regular eviction drives would certainly help the city for having better and efficient drainage system in place.’’
During the eviction drive 1 platoon of APR male police, 1 section of women APR police, three squads from BDA, one from BMC and two JCB machines were deployed. The drive started at around 10.30 am and ended at 5 pm.
Among others, BDA Additional Commissioner (Enforcement) Bhabani Shankar Chayani, ACP Kishore Chandra Mund, Zonal Deputy Commissioner (North) Subhranshu Mishra, Nayapalli IIC Umakanta Pradhan and enforcement officials of BDA were present.
The programme is likely to continue for more days in order to clear all encroachments from the area along the Drainage Channel No. 4. The channel is the longest in the city and passes through Ekamra Vihar, Jaydev Vihar, Acharya Vihar, Bhouma Nagar, Utkal University, VSS Nagar, Mancheswar and finally reaches the Gangua `nullah’ near Chakeisiani.
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