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Patiala MC launches anti-encroachment drives
The municipal corporation (MC) of Patiala has launched extensive drives to clear encroachments from roadsides and footpaths across the Royal City.
The municipal corporation (MC) of Patiala has launched extensive drives to clear encroachments from roadsides and footpaths across the Royal City.
On Friday, the MC penalised over 20 food street vendors, who had occupied the footpaths, causing inconvenience to commuters and pedestrians.
Encroachment is one of the major problems faced in the interior areas of the city. It has become a bone of contention for the commuters in the exterior areas as well, as they result in frequent traffic jams and result in chaos.
Mayor Sanjeev Sharma Bittu said that extensive drives are being launched to remove the encroachments and the crackdown will continue in the near future as well.
“Not just the street vendors, we have also initiated a drive to clear the interior roads of the cities by removing vehicles that are parked illegally on the roadsides. Action has been initiated in this regard with the help of traffic police,” he said.
He added that inspection teams have been constituted so that shopkeepers don’t dare to encroach upon the city roads.
“Specific areas will be demarcated in yellow colour along the roads for parking of two-wheelers. Shopkeepers and vendors have been instructed not to violate the norms by crossing the stipulated area,” the mayor said.
The authorities have launched multiple anti-encroachment drives in the past, but to no avail. The vendors encroach roads and footpaths even after being evicted by the authorities concerned.
Pedestrians bear the brunt as the footpaths are occupied by squatters and beggars near the bus stand, railway station and other busy areas, claim residents.
An official said that to ease the traffic situation in market areas, a meeting was held between the MC authorities and traffic police. “An action plan was discussed to remove the encroachments, at the earliest,” the official said.
