Ujjain : Though the commencement of the Simhastha Fair is months away, the availability encroachment free Mela area in the city area is a major hindrance in the hosting of the mega fair. With no master plan for the construction activities, including illegal ones, going on at a large scale, the city gets choked even on normal festive baths such as Mauni Amavasya or Shahi Sawari.
The district administration with Ujjain Municipal Corporation started its encroachment removal drive on war footing facing oppose from the encroachers, from the Mela area in the city. On Wednesday a team of UMC and aided by police force removed the permanent and temporary encroachments from Khak Chowk, Ankpat Marg, Agar Road and Mahakaleshvar temple and nearby areas of the city. Traffic jams become a norm on ordinary days and the Mela area is getting congested day by day. The Mela authority is in immediate needs to crack the whip down on encroachers to get free space for various Mela purposes as well as the widening of roads. But, with the drive being initiated quite late, it’s bound to be in limitation and encroachments may become a hindrance when on holy bathes millions of people will throng the city.
An encroachment removal gang of UMC led by Naib Tehsildar Shekhar Choudhary removed the permanent houses at the Khak Chowk area. Choudhary informing Free Press said that 7 permanent constructions including houses were razed in the Khak Chowk area. The drive started from Khak Chowk and ended at Uttarmukhi Hanuman Temple. The dwellers were informed earlier and they had removed their belongings, those who opposed were removed with force, Chimanganj Mandi police force aided in the course. Choudhary said little opposition was staged by the dwellers, seeing their mistake. Reportedly women and locals and dwellers of those, whose houses were razed, staged a Chakkajam in the area, in the evening. The women protestors relented after another executive magistrate reached the area and assured of compensation.
The encroachment removal gang then turned towards Agar Road and Mahakaleshvar temple, where the temporary encroachments were removed. Hundreds of items of roadside and kiosk vendors were seized in the drive. Already informed and seeing the police movement along with JCB machines, most of the people at the Agar Road started taking away their belongings and goods. Minor resistance was also seen with dwellers trying every bit to stop the rampaging JCB machines, but to no avail.
