Anti-encroachment drive in Shimla leads to ruckus

ibune News Service

Shimla, June 25

An anti-encroachment drive carried out by Municipal Corporation led to a ruckus in the city’s Lower Bazaar today. While the MC officials claimed that the shopkeepers resisted the drive and even tried to intimidate them, the shopkeepers alleged that the former picked goods from inside their shops and did not even give them the receipt of the articles picked from their shops.

Later, the MC returned the articles after issuing challans to as many as 26 shopkeepers. “If someone is found guilty of encroachment again, the confiscated articles will be auctioned,” said MC joint commissioner Ajit Bhardwaj, who led the drive along with Additional Commissioner (Legal) Joginder Chauhan.

Bhardwaj said the drive was launched following complaints from people that shopkeepers had covered a lot of portion of the road with their goods and it was getting tough to walk through the bazaar.

“We found encroachment on a large scale. Besides overhanging projections, many shopkeepers had covered a portion of the road too, leaving little space even for emergency vehicles to pass through,” said Bhardwaj.

Meanwhile, the shopkeepers said the drive was absolutely unwarranted, especially at a time when they were trying to get their business back on track following the lockdown.

“For the last one-and-a-half year, traders are struggling to stay afloat. There’s hardly any business. How do we take care of our families and pay our salesman,” said an aggrieved shopkeeper.

Another shopkeeper alleged that the MC officials picked up articles from inside the shops and did not even provide the receipt for it. “We don’t support encroachment but the MC officials should have informed the Beopar Mandal once,” said Shimla Beopar Mandal president Inderjeet Singh.

Taking a tough stance, Bhardwaj said the encroachment would not be allowed at any cost and such drives will continue in different parts of the city on regular basis.

Warning of strict action against encroachment, Joginder Chauhan said as per the High Court orders, there were provisions for stricter action against encroachment, including disconnecting water and electricity supply and even cancellation of the traders’ licence.

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