BHOPAL: The traders in Jawahar Chowk area today held an agitation against the drive of Bhopal Smart City development Corporation Limited (BSCDCL), alleging the drive is against the rules.
They claimed the rules of the development that were made by the ex-BJP government were twisted for the work and it has led to shifting of the shops and felling of trees.
Ex-minister Umashankar Gupta and other BJP leaders were present.
They claimed that the original plan of the developmental has been tampered with and the traders are being shifted elsewhere, and there is no word about their rehabilitation. They claimed that the number of trees being felled for the developmental work has also led to loss to the environment.
Gupta said the way the shopkeepers were asked to leave the area and their shops were shifted has led to loss in their work.
The protest began at around 11 am and lasted for over 2.5 hours.
Gupta claimed the officials are working as per their whims and fancy and have overlooked the interests of the shopkeepers, as it was included in the developmental plan by the former BJP government.
He alleged the traders who have been shifted, were not rehabilitated and it was not in the rules.
Rakesh Jain, a ex-corproator said that the officials have also misled the ministers PC Sharma and Jaivardhan Singh.
The smart city has destroyed the greenery of the area by felling of trees, but the equal number of trees have not been planted.
The sit-in area later turned into a confrontation zone as BJP and the Congress workers, who reach the spot, raised slogans against each other.
No untoward incident was reported from the site as a police team remained deployed at the site.
The congress workers alleged that the ex-minister Gupta is trying to stop the development of the smart city, that was inaugurated in the BJP rule.
BJP is confused: Patwari
Minister Jitu Patwari said that the BJP is confused as the developmental work was initiated by the erstwhile BJP government, and they are now against the developmental work in the same area.
He said that the BJP leaders have forgotten what initiatives they have to oppose and what they have to suppprt.
