Jamshedpur : East Singhbhum district administration has issued directives to shopkeepers of Sakchi and Bistupur against re-encroachment of pavements and drains outside areas given for their shops during the festive seasons.
Dhalbhum SDO Alok Kumar said that the shopkeepers have been asked to maintain way for movement of traffic and shoppers at commercial hubs.�
It has been seen that usually shopkeepers during festive season put up stocks, display board on festive offers to woo customers at pavements and roadsides. If any shopkeeper is found indulging in such acts henceforth they should be ready to face penalty.
The directive was issued to shopkeepers of Bistupur and Sakchi at a meeting held at SDO Dhalbhum chamber near district collectorate this evening.
The SDO said that a team comprising Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee (JNAC) � the local urban body along with concerned police station–� would be conducting surprise inspection.�
Any violation of the directive would make the shopkeeper liable for fine up to Rs 5,000 and would be charged by JNAC officials.
�Most of the traffic jams are due to laxity of authorities. The problem can be solved if the administration takes the issue of encroachments seriously. But we all know why and how these encroachments come up,” said Nagesh Gupta, a resident.
�Encroachment has been decades-old issue but yes, now it has become a kind of trade and people have been minting money by seizing land and transferring to others. Not only this, houses, farms, agencies belonging to some known faces of the city have also been constructed in areas of Mango, Jugsalai, Chotta Govindpur and Karandih,� said a youth BJP leader.
He said that though the party has raised the issue several times with the administration but they have received assurances so far.
With city roads squeezing day by day due to encroachments, the district administration launched launch anti-encroachment drive.
�We want to streamline the traffic movement in the city. We are taking initiatives to vacate the illegal constructions so that the vehicles can move easily,� said an officer of Jamshedpur Notified Area Committee.
He said that the shop owners were asked to remove the encroached areas.
Kadma, Bistupur, Sakchi and Jugsalai, which are the busiest areas of the town, over fifty fruit vendors and vegetable sellers have encroached the road and there are always a traffic jam as the fruit vendors have occupied one forth portion of the road, making difficult to move the heavy vehicles.
