Jamshedpur : Traffic police led by Jugsalai traffic police inspector Lucas Topno acting on the directive of the East Singhbhum senior superintendent of police Amol V. Homkar launched a drive to free the Tatanagar Road Overbridge of vegetable vendors who illegally occupied pavements and road. Around 85 vendors were removed from the bridge along with their goods with a stern warning.
�We want to free the passageway of encroachers as there has been lot of complaints by commuters in this regard especially in view of the approaching festivities with the East Singhbhum deputy commissioner Amitabh Kaushal. The drive will continue on a regular basis. The traffic cops deployed at the spot have been asked to report if the vendors put up their products on the pavement again,� said deputy superintendent of police (traffic) Jagadish Prasad.
The railway officials claimed that this drive will make a way for smooth flow of traffic. The policemen present on the spot removed the make-shift shops and the wares forcibly. The kind of shops which faced the eviction axe included vegetable shops, fruit shops, tea stalls, snacks corner.
�Near railway station several we all vendors eke out living by running makeshift shops on the footpath. An official, who was present on the occasion said that the drive was carried peacefully without any protest.
Incidentally, more than 100 vendors illegally occupy the pavements and the roads selling their products leaving practically no space for pedestrians to walk on the pavements while going to Tatanagar Station.
The bridge links Burmamines on one end and Jugsalai on the other and is the only road to Tatanagar Station for residents of Baridih, Telco, Golmuri, Sidhgora, Agrico, Birsanagar and Burmamines witnesses nearly 60,000 vehicles crossing it daily.
The police have also asked make-shift shops and other encroachers to remove their things along the road. The officer said that taking confidence the traders of the area so that the encroachments along side the road can be removed.
The district traffic department has chalked out a mechanism wherein the violator of the traffic rules will be penalised. The traffic personnel are also slapping spot fine on two-wheeler and four wheeler riders for violating the traffic norms. Fines are being slapped on those who are not wearing the helmets.
Meanwhile police officials said that the drive would press a sense of alert among the people.
Officials said that the drive is one way of alerting the people from violating traffic rules. There is nothing unusual in carrying this exercise in order to teach the rules to the citizens.