Dhar (Madhya Pradesh): The anti-encroachment drive in Dhar town faced major opposition from local traders at Mandi road after scores of shoppers sat in front of JCBs and heavy machinery and raised slogans against the municipality.
Traders accused the local authorities of step-motherly treatment and a discriminatory approach towards small shopkeepers in the market areas. Traders demanded to meet sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Deepshri Gupta and raised slogans that they wonít allow the administration to run anti-traders law in the town but Gupta was busy in a meeting.
Traders claimed that if the administration wants to remove encroachments, then proper demarcation must be put in place before removing the encroachments. They cautioned that if this practice is not followed, then the shopkeepers will stage a protest and will not allow the JCB machine to run.
Meanwhile, SDM Gupta, chief municipal officer Nishikant Shukla and tehsildar Vinod Rathod inspected the encroachment removed from the pond behind the SP bungalow, but 15 feet by 15 feet encroachment in Bhojnagar, a colony adjacent to the pond, is still there.
A businessman said officials are negligent while removing the encroachments, and are deciding whether to remove the encroachment or not depending on the status, influence and political affiliation of the person concerned. But Shukla refuted these allegations saying that encroachments are being removed impartially.
Stepwell unearthed
During encroachment removal, the municipality and the administration unearthed a stepwell on Mandi Road, Bholenath temple.
