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LMC razes shops selling party paraphernalia opp SP office
Bulldozers of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) roared to life again and demolished around 10 illegal shops selling election material in front of the Samajwadi party office, on Vikramaditya Marg, on Wednesday
Bulldozers of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) roared to life again and demolished around 10 illegal shops selling election material in front of the Samajwadi party office, on Vikramaditya Marg, on Wednesday.
These shops belonged to influential people and had been encroaching upon the footpath and additional land of the green belt for many years.
According to municipal commissioner Indrajeet Singh, all the shopkeepers had been sent prior notices. The encroachments had become a threat for the security of senior politicians and officials residing on that road, including Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Some shopkeepers raised a protest against the action but due to the presence of a heavy police force, they vacated their shops and cleared the way for demolition by LMC bulldozers.
Meanwhile, the phones of LMC officials started ringing for cancellation of the drive but nothing could be done as the directives had come from higher authorities.
Leading the anti-encroachment drive zonal officer zone 1 Rajesh Singh said, “These shops were doing business on government land. They were running advertisements on government land. Hundreds of hoardings and kiosks were removed by the LMC squad.”
Former minister and Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary reacting to the anti-encroachment drive said, “The BJP government is following the policy of displacing the people. Displacement of people is the BJP government’s agenda.”
In a Twitter post, the Samajwadi Party’s media department too targeted the BJP government. “Another disgusting example of BJP’s politics of enmity. The BJP government has used bulldozers against the poor earning bread for their family, selling flags, banners and posters outside the SP office for decades. Very disgusting and shameful!,” reads a post roughly translated from Hindi.
