E-Paper
Protests, stone-pelting mark demolition drive
AFTER DILLY-DALLYING for over a month, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) along with and Kanpur Development Authority carried out a demolition drive amidst protests and stone-pelting incidents here today.
AFTER DILLY-DALLYING for over a month, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) along with and Kanpur Development Authority carried out a demolition drive amidst protests and stone-pelting incidents here today.
However, presence of heavy police force averted the situation from becoming worse. The police also detained one person when a group of persons started pelting stones on the JVC as soon as the drive began in the forenoon.
The stone-pelting incident resulted in damage to the JCB, however, the driver and helper escaped unhurt. The drive was resumed later with heavy police presence.
In the first phase of drive, a section between Jajmau bridge and Harjinder Nagar Crossing was taken and several roadside dwellings were raged. The drive, which began from St Joseph School Crossing had hardly covered over 100 metres, when the traders and the residents again started their protest bringing the drive to a halt. The traders’ leaders demanded adequate compensation to the evacuees.
However, the NHAI authorities led by project manager P Shivshanker expressed their helplessness over the same citing no policy as such on the part of the Union Government.
However, the NHAI authorities maintained that the district magistrate had assured the residents that their request would be made to the Union Government to give some compensation as the people here were residing for a long time.
After the high-voltage drama which continued for an hour, the officials succeeded in persuading the irate mob and the drive began again. This time concrete structures on the NHAI land were removed. The squad also raged several concrete shops, extended boundry walls and dwellings. As per the NHAI authorities, this was the first phase of the drive and the second phase would include the section between PWD godown and Jajmau bridge and Ramadevi Crossing and Railway overbridge.
Who is the owner?
CONFUSION STILL persists over ownership of a stretch of land between Harjinder Nagar Crossing and Ramadevi Crossing. According to the KDA officials, the stretch between Harjinder Nagar and Ramadevi Crossing is a private property and it has nothing to do with KDA. However, the NHAI officials when contacted said that it was still not clear whether the property was a private one or on the KDA’s land.
The KDA officials said that since it was a private property, it would be directly acquired by the NHAI and the authority would have to give compensation to the genuine owners. But, the NHAI officials maintained that the records were being sought and the KDA had not given in writing that the land was not their property.
