Jamshedpur, March 29: East Singhbhum district administration continued with its anti-encroachment drive for the second consecutive day near the Jugsalai railway crossing to clear the way for construction of the road over-bridge linking the commercial hubs of Jugsalai with Bistupur.
On second day of the drive led by Dhalbhum SDO Suraj Kumar in the presence of deputy collector land revenue Manoj Kumar Ranjan, circle officer Jamshedpur Manoj Kumar and assistant engineer (AEN) Tatanagar station S. K Das, four earthmovers razed nearly 30 temporary structures on railway lands and 10 on Tata Steel lease area.
The drive which began at nearly 11 am continued till 1.30 p.m. with heavy police deployment (250 personnel from Jharkhand Armed Police, Rapid Action Force and Railway Protection Force) led by DSP law and order B. N Singh and DSP traffic Vivekananda Thakur.
�We continued to remove all the encroachment barring two shops (on Tata Steel lease area) which had a stay order by Jharkhand High Court. Depending on the court order we will initiate further action.
Officially, the anti-encroachment drive near Jugsalai railway crossing has ended,� said the Dhalbhum SDO. Most of the structures razed were of tin-shed and there was no resistance from any of the encroachers today.
The Dhalbhum SDO further said that the land freed from encroachment would be taken possession by the district administration for the construction of approach roads by the state road construction department for the over-bridge which would be constructed by the railway.
�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,� noted an official. Encroachments in the city are omnipresent and thriving, much to the discomfort of the ordinary citizen.
Be it the road, parks, pavements, markets or public land taken over in the name of religion, the city is known for the encroachments which blot the urban landscape.
Most of the shop-owners and owners of wayside hotel had removed the valuables before the demolition squad arrived there, but those ignored the squad had to face the ire of the administration.