BHUBANESWAR: More than eight shops were demolished along the entire stretch from Sainik School till Acharya Vihar during a joint eviction drive by Bhubaneswar Municipality Corporation (BMC) and Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA). The shops, including an Omfed booth, a PCO and eateries, had encroached upon the road and so were demolished. In spite of being warned thrice last month, the shops along the stretch in Sachivalaya Marg had not been vacated. The shopkeepers claimed that they were not issued any notice of warning to vacate and it was a surprise for them. Around one battalion police force was there to oversee the eviction process. BMC is not legally bound to give a prior warning to an eviction. But they had still warned the shops to vacate. “We had warned them prior to the demolition as we do not want to hurt the source of employment of the poor. But in the end they left us no choice,” explained BMC Recovery Officer Sumita Behera. “The shopkeepers were aware of the eviction drive and were on the verge of packing their belongings by the time the forces arrived,” added Behera.
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